PRINEVILLE, Ore. — The rider killed during a race Wednesday at the Crooked River Roundup Horse Race was a journeyman jockey who rode thoroughbreds and quarter horses around the Pacific Northwest.
Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa, 29, was based primarily out of Grants Pass, according to the Jockey Guild. He was married and had three children who were known to greet him after his races.
Gutierrez-Sosa was killed about 7:40 p.m. in the first race of the night, Prineville Police Capt. Larry Seymour said Thursday.
“On the first race of the night, jockey Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa was thrown from his horse and died from injuries sustained from the fall,” Seymour said. “Wednesday’s races were canceled out of respect for the fallen jockey.”
Gutierrez-Sosa was transported to St. Charles Prineville where he was pronounced dead.
A video posted Thursday to YouTube purports to show the incident. Gutierrez-Sosa can be seen flying over the infield railing, the horse continuing down the stretch.
Wednesday was the start of the three-day roundup, which is back after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our hearts are broken,” Doug Smith, race chairman for the roundup, told The Bulletin in an email.
“We ask that everyone keeps those he left behind in their thoughts and prayers.”
A death investigation will be conducted by Prineville Police Department. The Oregon Racing Commission and Oregon Occupational Safety and Health also intend to investigate, Smith said.
Smith spoke with the other jockeys after the third race of the night and informed them of the death. They elected to not ride the remaining races and about a half-hour later, Smith got on the public address system and told the crowd Gutierrez-Sosa had died from his injuries.
In about an hour, race officials had raised more than $3,500 from attendees for Gutierrez-Sosa’s family.
Gutierrez-Sosa was a regular rider at the semi-annual meets at Grants Pass Downs.
“We have just a tremendous respect for him,” said Grants Pass Downs President Randy Evers. “Just always a smile on his face. He was really loved by the people.”
Gutierrez-Sosa rode for horse owner-trainer Travis Wheeler, among many others. The two met shortly after “Sosa” entered the sport around 2012.
“His first couple years, he was a little rough,” Wheeler said.
But he was a pleasure to be around.
“You hardly ever saw the guy without a smile on his face,” Wheeler said. “He could be having the hardest day in the world and it wouldn’t matter.”
Thoroughbreds especially have unique personalities. Some run hard at the start of the race, while others like to hang around the middle of the pack until the final stretch. Over thousands of starts, Gutierrez-Sosa learned to recognize how much speed and strength a horse had left in it, and he became adept at drawing out the best performance from each horse, Wheeler said.
“He’s someone who put a lot of effort into getting better so he could support his family,” Wheeler said. “And that’s the hardest part of this, his family. It’s just such a heavy loss.”
Godfather Advice is a 2-year-old horse trained by Gutierrez-Sosa’s wife, Rosa Rodriguez. The horse made his debut with a loss June 15 in Grants Pass.
Gutierrez-Sosa began racing in 2013, according to the horse racing industry database Equibase.
He won 194 thoroughbred races and 171 quarter horse races, according to Equibase.
“This is so tragic,” Jason Beem, who announced races at Grants Pass Downs, wrote in a tweet. “Eduardo rode much of his career in Oregon. If you watched (Grants Pass Downs), you’d see after every race Eduardo won, his children would greet him after the race with a hug and a kiss. Condolences to his wife Rosa and their children.”
For decades the Jockey Guild saw an average of two jockey deaths per year. Safety improvements to helmets, vests, infield railings and other features are credited with decreasing instances of serious injury and death.
Larger tracks today feature railings designed to reduce injury in collisions with jockeys and horses.
“We know it’s a dangerous sport,” said Terry Meyocks, guild president.
“But anything we can do to increase safety is the best thing for everyone.”
