Bay Area

Filly Dies After Winning Race, 4th Racehorse Death This Year at Golden Gate Fields

A 3-year-old filly was euthanized at Golden Gate Fields last week after winning her last race, the fourth horse death reported at the Berkeley track this year. The horse, Ultimate Diva, was entered in race 3 on March 3 at the track. But after taking the lead early and finishing in first place, the filly “suffered a catastrophic injury past the wire and was euthanized on the track,” according to the Equibase race card about the event.

Published

3 years ago

March 13, 2023

Oakland Post

The thoroughbred's death is the fourth so far this year at Golden Gate Fields, and the track's 19th since January 2022. In 2021, 26 racehorses died at the track.

By Kathleen Kirkwood
Bay City News

A 3-year-old filly was euthanized at Golden Gate Fields last week after winning her last race, the fourth horse death reported at the Berkeley track this year.

The horse, Ultimate Diva, was entered in race 3 on March 3 at the track. But after taking the lead early and finishing in first place, the filly “suffered a catastrophic injury past the wire and was euthanized on the track,” according to the Equibase race card about the event.

Details on the horse’s injury were not available, but the California Horse Racing Board lists the death as “musculoskeletal,” meaning a bone injury.

The thoroughbred’s death is the fourth so far this year at Golden Gate Fields, and the track’s 19th since January 2022. In 2021, 26 racehorses died at the track.

Causes of death listed by the horse racing board include colic-gastrointestinal, neurological, cellulitis, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and unknown. Some causes are still pending and three of the deaths are listed as accidents.

Samantha Eachus, an advocate for horses who is critical of the racing/gambling industry, flagged the most recent death at Golden Gate Fields as a sign that horses are ridden far too young, aren’t exercised enough and fed a diet that’s only aimed to improve their racing, not their health, she said.

Over a two-year period, Ultimate Diva won $32,380 for her owner, listed as Baseline Equine LLC, according to statistics listed by Equibase

“They are ridden much younger than they should be ridden and are used as money-making machines,” Eachus said. “There’s no amount of money that is worth racing a young horse to death.”

Golden Gate Fields did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The California Horse Racing Board, which tracks racing horse fatalities, has taken measures that have reduced deaths at California tracks by more than 50 percent over the past three years, spokesperson Mike Marten said.

One of those has been a requirement that every horse is reviewed by an expert panel to determine its fitness for a race.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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KathleenKirkwood1828p03/06/23

CONTACT: Samantha Eachus (707) 694-0659

CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten (714) 240-1870 MikeM@chrb.ca.gov

Golden Gate Fields questions@goldengatefields.com (510) 559 – 7300

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: An image related to this story can be obtained from the following Bay City News Service link:

https://www.baycitynews.com/images/BCN-20221209-HORSEDEATHS-01.jpeg

Animal rights activists with Direct Action Everywhere hold signs outside Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, Calif. on Dec. 9, 2022, with the names of racehorses that have died (Direct Action Everywhere via Bay City News).

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

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3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.