Emerald horseman Bonifacio Rayas dies

Bonifacio Rayas, a fixture on the backstretch at Emerald Downs, died on Feb. 18, an Emerald official said.

Rayas had a heart attack at Emerald in early February and was kept in a coma until his family could get to Washington. He was 80 years old.

The past 15 years, “Boni,” as he was known, has been the right-hand man for trainer Roy Lumm.

A native of Jalisco, Mexico, Rayas was a Quarter Horse jockey early in his career. In the 1960s he worked in Southern California for trainer Farrell Jones.

Trainer Tim McCanna brought him to the northwest in the 1990s.

According to Lumm, Rayas could do everything with a horse from ponying to shoeing. He was also great working on horse’s legs and feet.