The Week in Review: Salute to a Fallen Rider

Dave Yannuzzi, the jockey agent for the late Jose Flores, hasn't really had time to mourn the death of his good friend and 15-year business partner over the past week. Since the time he rushed to the hospital in the early evening hours of Mar. 19 upon learning of Flores's fall from horseback at Parx Racing, Yannuzzi's time has been consumed with trying to help family members cope with the difficult decision to remove Flores from life support, fielding phone calls from reporters so Flores's wife, the former jockey Joanne McDaid-Flores, didn't have to, and assisting in arrangements for funeral, cremation, and fundraising services.

Yannuzzi, an old-school type of agent with a deep, resonant voice and a blunt, yet pleasantly cordial, way of speaking, understandably hasn't been his affable self over the past week, nor is he likely to be any time soon. But he did manage to crack a small grin and utter a rueful chuckle when asked if he could recall the last conversation he had with Flores, who succumbed to massive neurological injuries on Mar. 22, three days after his accident.

“That's funny you should ask that,” Yannuzzi said. “I was busting his chops a little bit–you know how the banter is on the backside. He rode a stakes horse in Maryland on Saturday [Mar. 17], but we had been named on a couple of horses here at Parx. Earlier that week, I had wanted him to stay here because I thought those horses had a good chance. But he had said 'Dave, I really want to go to Laurel because it's a $100,000 stakes.' So I said okay, I'll make some calls and take care of it. He went to Laurel and ran third. And don't you know it, both the horses here won two allowance races.

“We don't race on Sundays at Parx, so I hadn't gotten a chance to see him the next day after he came back,” Yannuzzi continued. “But on the morning [of his accident] the very first thing I told him was, 'You're a bad so-and-so messing around with me!' He said 'What do you mean?' and I said, 'I told you to stay here! Thank God you're not the agent in this relationship–we'd both be in the bread line!'

“So that was it–our last conversation was laughing and clowning. Then I said, “I'll call you and I'll talk to you tonight. He had three mounts that day. Just another day at the office. And that was it.”

In reporting on Flores's obituary, I was not surprised that people who knew him had good things to say when asked for recollections of the fallen rider. But what did resonate with me was how many of the people I cold-called insisted that they were not just offering up expected accolades. Almost to a person, the friends and business associates I spoke to went out of their way to underscore what a genuinely compassionate, respectful and caring human being Flores was, both on and off the track.

“He was nothing but a pleasure to be around, a pleasure to work for, and if it wasn't that way I wouldn't say it,” Yannuzzi said. “He was truly, truly one of the great guys in racing, and you could tell that by the number of people who showed up at the hospital that first night they took him there. The other night there were 60 people at that hospital, and they stayed there all night–trainers, grooms, exercise riders, jockeys. He was always well-liked, because he always had a kind word for people. He was approachable. Never in a bad mood. Never cranky. He was a very personable guy. Quiet, but funny, a good sense of humor, and very, very generous with people. He would do anything for anybody. I lost my brother six weeks ago, and this is like losing another brother.

“We were like family. We looked after each other. Whenever he got hurt, I hardly ever worked for another rider. And if I did, I told the other rider than when Jose comes back, that's where my loyalty is. We were very close. I've had him for 15 years, and he's only had two agents all his time in Philly [since 1999], the late Jack Servis and me. He treated people who had two horses like the way he treated people who had 22 horses. He was a mentor, and he took the time–always–to help younger jockeys. Not just with riding, but with personal problems, too. He was a really good father, and a good son to his parents. He probably could have made a jump to a bigger circuit. But he had his home here, and he had a good life. He'll be sorely missed.

“He'd had five or six spills in the last 10 years that probably cost him 3 1/2 years of riding,” Yannuzzi continued. “He had a real bad injury with a collarbone. Then he broke his knee. And then he had another injury with his chest, a very severe injury. He'd had spills where he's hurt his face and broke his back. But every time he came back, and every time I said, 'Man, he's amazing.'

“Jose was the consummate professional. He was not a young guy. He was 56 and he won over 4,600 races. He was an unbelievable rider for his age, really. He didn't have to reduce weight. He tacked 116 every day. Loved going out in the morning and working as much as he loved riding in the afternoon, in fact. We had a conversation when he came back off his last injury, and I said, 'Are you sure you want to come back?' And he joked, 'Why, you don't want to work for me?' He said, 'Dave, what else would I do? I love doing this. I love the morning work. I love the afternoon work. And I love the people.'”]

When jockeys ride into their 50s, an obvious conclusion many people think (but usually do not say aloud) is that the rider continues to ply his trade because he has to, financially, to make ends meet. That was not the case with Flores.

“He made some good investments,” Yannuzzi said. “He was a pretty smart guy with his money and all. He bought his parents a house. He actually owned three houses in Florida. He took care of everybody in the family. He has brothers and sisters at Penn National, and he was always doing stuff to help them. I do believe he brought them all to the United States after he came here from Peru.”

Yannuzzi is taking solace where he can find it these last few days, and he said it gives him a small measure of comfort to know that doctors said Flores likely did not suffer and probably did not even feel the impact of his vicious spill. And even in death, Flores will continue to have a generous effect on others, because he had long ago signed up to be an organ donor, and his family consented to having some of his organs harvested prior to his disconnection from life-support machinery.

Over the course of several phone conversations with Yannuzzi last week, the only time his deep, booming voice quavered–ever so briefly–was when he was asked how he thought Flores would like to be remembered.

“Number one, he was a gentleman. He treated everyone well. Hotwalkers and grooms, they all liked him,” Yannuzzi said. “He was very generous with his money and his time. If he decided to ride your horse, it didn't matter if it was if it was 3-1 or 35-1. If he accepted your mount, he rode hard. Definitely one of the hardest-working riders you will ever see in your life….In December, when we had that record cold, in a span of seven days, he was out there for six of them, just to gallop and jog horses. I said 'Are you crazy?' He said 'I've got to go out—my people need me.'”

Now, Flores's family needs those people.

In a change of plans announced over the weekend, because of an expected overflow crowd wishing to pay respects, the location of Flores's wake and memorial service has been moved from a local funeral home to Parx, and the hours have also been extended. Visitation will begin Tuesday, Mar. 27, at 5:30 p.m. on the third floor of the racetrack's grandstand. Services will follow at 8:00 p.m.

Even though Flores had invested wisely, his survivors still face unforeseen needs, both short- and long-term. Two separate GoFundMe portals have been established to assist the Flores family (besides his wife and two grown sons, Flores leaves a seven-year-old son). Online donations can be made here and here.

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) is also accepting checks and money orders for donors who wish to help. The mailing address is: PTHA Flores Family Fund, c/o PTHA, P. O. Box 300, Bensalem, PA, 19020.

In addition, on Wednesday, Mar. 28, the PTHA and Parx will jointly host the annual horsemen's awards banquet, an event that saw Flores crowned leading jockey in 2004. Even though the timing is tight, event organizers are still seeking silent auction item donations that will be raffled off to assist with fundraising for the Flores family. Those wishing to help can contact Danielle Montgomery via phone at (215) 808-7562.