Jockey Flores, 57, dead after fall from horse
A veteran horse jockey died Thursday, three days after a “sickening” accident during a race in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Parx Racing confirmed the death of Jose Flores on Thursday afternoon. He was 57.
“He embodied all that is good in the world of horse racing, and will be missed immensely,” officials at the track in Bensalem, outside of Philadelphia, posted on Twitter. “We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his fam- ily.”
Flores, who won 4,650 races throughout his career of more than three decades, died after suffering severe cranial and spinal injuries during the ninth race at the track Monday. Flores’ longtime agent, David Yannuzzi, confirmed his death to Daily Racing Form.
Flores was riding a horse named Love Rules and had been in the lead of Monday’s race when the horse fell with no warning, sending Flores into the ground head first, Philly.com reports.
“It’s unbelievable, just sickening,” Scott Lake, the all-time leading trainer at Parx, told the website. “He was just tremendous, a nice guy, always a professional.”
Flores earned more than $64 million in a career that began in 1987. Yanuzzi said Flores would have certainly eclipsed more than 5,000 wins had he not battled serious injuries in recent years.
Flores was taken to a hospital in Philadelphia after the accident, but never regained consciousness, according to Daily Racing Form. The organ donor was kept on life support as his parents traveled from Florida to visit him. He died Thursday afternoon after being taken off life support. Love Rules was euthanized after the race.
Flores, a native of Peru, won 2,255 races at Parx and was in- ducted into the Parx Hall of Fame in 2013.
Terry Meyocks, national manger of The Jockeys’ Guild, said the Kentucky-based organization was “saddened” by the news of Flores’ death.
“He was a fine person and an outstanding rider,” Meyocks told The Post. “It’s very unfortunate and we’re saddened by the loss.”
Flores is survived by wife, Joanne McDaid-Flores, a former jockey herself, as well as 7-year-old son, Julian, and older sons, Juan and Junior.