Florida trainers Ron Gaffney, Ron Felix die

The local racing community lost a couple of veteran trainers this past week with the deaths of Ron Gaffney and Ron Felix.

Gaffney, a former jockey and transplanted New Englander who rode and galloped horses at Suffolk Downs during his early days on the racetrack, died last Saturday at age 77. Gaffney, who was still galloping his own horses at Gulfstream Park up until a year ago, trained several notable horses, including Storm of Glory, the winner of the 1990 The Very One; stakes winner Rule Number Six; and Call Me Mr. Vain, whom he claimed for $25,000 and later sent out to finish second in the Grade 2 Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth Park in 1999.

Gaffney is survived by his wife, Emmy, whose father, Jimmy Rowe, was a stakes-winning trainer in New England more than 50 years ago.

Felix, a regular on the South Florida, New Jersey, and Michigan circuits during his career, died Wednesday in Miami. He was 80.

Felix won 230 races, including 11 stakes, before retiring in 1987 to become the racing manager for Team Canonie Stable. Among his most notable accomplishments was sending out Classy Tricks to win the Princess Rooney Stakes at Calder in 1986 and 1987. Felix also won the 1984 Desert Vixen division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder with Emergency Call and the Carry Back Stakes that same season with Bowmans Express.