PETA wants horse racing abolished. In pursuing that goal, their biggest mistake is in continuing to focus so much on horse deaths. That opens them up to too much statistical randomness, which will kill their momentum. Instead, they should focus on the cruelty of horses racing with nagging injuries. They should demand that horses be in perfect condition before they are allowed to race.

Santa Anita's biggest mistake is in failing to broaden the discussion into the horrific treatment of animals across the board. In addition to being the right thing to do, this would allow them to make the people who are attacking the sport look like what they are: grandstanding hypocrites who ignore the atrocities that are all around them and instead focus on one high-profile grain of sand. Don't let your enemies score their "I care about animals" points on the cheap. If you're going to go down, go down in a noble cause and take a few billion people with you.