A rash of tragic accidents has rocked the storied Santa Anita racetrack. A total of 21 horses have suffered life ending injuries since December 26, and now a decision has been made to suspend racing for the rest of this week, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The suspension comes at a horrible time for race fans and horse owners. The San Felipe Handicap, a major race for 3-year-old horses in preparation for the Kentucky Derby, as well as the Santa Anita Handicap, a big race for older horses, were both scheduled for Saturday, March 9. They will now have to be postponed.

The latest fatality came on March 5, when a 4-year-old filly injured her leg during training on the main dirt track, and was the ninth death in training. Seven more have died after racing on that trace, and another five from racing on the turf track. In just over two months, Santa Anita has doubled its fatalities year over year when compared with 2018.

Experts are flabbergasted. The track was analyzed for irregularities last week by safety and racing surface expert Mick Peterson, but none were found. He’s now going to test again, hoping to find something he might have missed.