Exercise rider killed during morning workout at Tampa Bay Downs

A 19-year-old exercise rider was killed early Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs in a pre-dawn accident when a horse apparently slammed into his airborne body as he was coming off the horse he was exercising.

According to sources at the Oldsmar, Fla., track, the deceased is Daniel Quintero, a Venezuela native who was an aspiring jockey.

According to trainer Gregg Sacco, who was in close proximity to the accident when he was standing near the half-mile pole on the backstretch, Quintero’s feet were out of the irons when his mount came flying past the “wrong way,” or clockwise, at a high, uncontrollable speed. The horse was barreling toward two Sacco horses who were in a routine gallop going counterclockwise.

“He was in the middle of the track, rolling,” said Sacco. “We didn’t really see it because it was still dark. What I can determine, our horse may have struck (Quintero) in the chest and he might have been dead on impact. It’s really tragic.”

Another witness said Quintero apparently went into immediate cardiac arrest and was not breathing when medical personnel rushed to his side.

Sacco said the exercise rider on his horse was “shaken up but okay.” The track was closed for training the rest of the morning as local authorities investigated. A nine-race program was to be run Saturday afternoon as scheduled.

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