Santa Anita Park will shut down indefinitely after 21 horses died at the storied Southern California venue in the last 10 weeks, the park confirmed Tuesday, putting all races and training on hold until a thorough inspection of the track can be made.

The unprecedented announcement came after Lets Light the Way, a 4-year-old filly, was injured Tuesday during a training run and euthanized. The sudden spike of deaths has sparked protests outside the park and concern from the state's horse racing governing board.

The decision means the track will postpone the Santa Anita Handicap race that was scheduled for Saturday, and no training will be allowed Wednesday as the park looks to address nearly two dozen horse deaths since Dec. 26, spokesperson Mike Willman confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

Races had already been suspended this week, the second time this year, in anticipation of heavy rain, but were expected to resume Friday until they were suddenly put on hold after another horse death was reported.

In response to the latest death, a spokesperson for the California Horse Racing Board — which oversees the horse racing industry in the state — told BuzzFeed News it would also be "examining other options to prevent additional fatalities."

The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita and other tracks, notified the state agency it was considering shutting down in order to more fully inspect the condition of the tracks, a spokesperson said.

Santa Anita has twice closed its tracks after experiencing a particularly rainy season and, in light of the recent deaths, has brought in experts to examine the tracks' integrity.

The spokesperson did not provide details on what actions the board was considering, but said chair Chuck Winner asked that the issue be placed on the agenda for the board's next meeting.

