Assistant trainer Miguel Delgado killed in automobile accident

Miguel Delgado, whose career in racing spanned some 35 years, was killed Saturday in an automobile accident in Lexington, Ky. He was 53.

Delgado, a native of Mexico, had worked as an assistant since 2016 for trainer Bill Morey, moving from his longtime base of Southern California to Kentucky only in recent times, Morey said.

“This is such a tragic event,” Morey said. “The whole team is just devastated.”

Morey said Delgado “worked his way from groom to foreman to assistant over a period of about 20 years” for his longtime boss, retired trainer Julio Canani, while also working for Richard Baltas, Carla Gaines, Mike Pender, and Jenine Sahadi .

Delgado is survived by his wife, Graciela, and four sons, three of whom work on the Southern California circuit.

A gofundme page has been set up to offset costs to return the body to Mexico for burial and for funeral expenses.