Ellis Park and Indiana Grand regular Francisco Torres said Saturday morning that he is retiring from the saddle after 32 years to pursue another career in horse racing. The catalyst came Nov. 23–a month after Torres' return from fractured and dislocated cervical vertebrae and a fractured tailbone–when his Thanksgiving Day H. mount suffered a catastrophic leg fracture in mid-stretch. While Torres was able to pull the horse up, he still came off and sustained body soreness, though returning to ride the rest of the long holiday weekend.
“It's time for me to walk away, and I literally mean walk away,” the 48-year-old Torres, who has four children and four grandchildren, said. “I don't want to be rolled around in a wheelchair for the rest of my life or dead. I've been blessed with a wonderful career, and it's time to go on with the second chapter of my life.”
Torres recorded 3,194 career victories in the saddle. The next stage for Torres could be as a jockey agent. “I think I can help someone, if I can get a young rider that I can teach as we go along,” he said.
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