No illegal medications were found in any of the 23 horses who died at Santa Anita between Dec. 30, 2018, and March 31, 2019, but 21 had “pre-existing pathology at the site of their fatal injury,” 11 had received injections of corticosteroids to the joints – two within 14 days of injury – and 39 percent of the fatalities were impacted by wet weather, according to a long-awaited report released Tuesday by the California Horse Racing Board.

Four other fatalities – three from colic, two of which were to ponies – and one incident of laminitis were not included in the report. Seven additional fatalities from March 31, 2019 through the end of the meet on June 23, 2019, were not included in the report because most were “pathologically distinct,” the report said.

According to the report, 13 of the fatalities were the result of injuries in races, 10 in workouts, 17 on dirt and six on turf. Nineteen of the 23 fatalities were the result of injuries to the fetlock, specifically sesamoid bones. All were examined via necropsies through the CHRB/University of California at Davis post-mortem program.

The 77-page document had been delayed for more than two months from when it was originally announced it would be released. Among its many findings and recommendations, it said having track veterinarians and examining veterinarians being supervised by the racing association’s racing office “poses an inherent conflict of interest.”

Other recommendations included “real-time adjustment” regarding track maintenance, standardized protocols for moving turf racing to dirt, continuing education for trainers, restructuring claiming rules, and video surveillance “at all CHRB facilities,” the report said.

The report said seven complaints will be filed related to violations of turning in daily veterinarian reports, and three complaints will be filed against trainers for training without a proper license, which usually reflects an unlicensed person hiring someone to be a program trainer for them.

“In several cases it is suspected that program training was taking place,” the report said.

The report said several trainers said during investigative interviews that they felt pressure to run, but only one gave a specific example.

All investigative reports, vet reports, and necropsies are considered confidential by California statutes and courts, so the names of all horses, trainers, owners, jockeys and veterinarians have been withheld from publication, the report said.

All documents were shared with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, which announced late last year that no criminal conduct was uncovered after its own investigation.

An expanded, updated version of this story will be found later at www.drf.com