Jockey Dies

The racing and breeze-up communities in Ireland have been rocked by the news that prominent rider Valdi de Souza has died at the age of 49 following "a freak accident" at work. The Brazilian native's finest hour in the saddle came when he partnered Rock Of Rochelle to win a Listed race at the Curragh for trainer Andrew Kinsella back in 2007.  He had been part of the fabric of Brendan Holland's Grove Stud for the past 11 years and the leading breeze-up handler paid an emotional tribute to de...

Jockey Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa, who rode primarily on the mixed-meet circuit in the Pacific Northwest, was killed in the first race of the season at the Crooked River Roundup July 14 when his Quarter Horse mount hit the inner rail and catapulted Gutierrez-Sosa headfirst into the infield, possibly after first hitting the rail. The Central Oregonian news outlet reported that the fairgrounds grandstand was packed with enthusiastic fans cheering on the return of racing, which had been cancelled last year because of the pandemic. Most were at first unaware that a...