Former jockey, racing official Bobby Peck dies at age 64

Robert D. “Bobby” Peck, a former jockey who became well known to many riders and horsemen as the clerk of scales on the Kentucky circuit for nearly 20 years, died Tuesday after a lengthy illness. He was 64.

According to Rod Peck, his nephew, Peck won the Miles Park Derby at the long-defunct Louisville track when he was 16 and rode for about seven years before his career was cut short when he badly injured his back in a racing accident. Peck eventually worked all four major Kentucky tracks – Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Ellis Park, and Turfway Park – as the clerk of scales before retiring in the late 1990s with persisting health issues.

Peck, a native of South Dakota and one of 10 children, is survived by his son, Brian, a former jockey whose own 20-year career ended in 2006; a daughter, Donajean; and two grandchildren.

A graveside service was scheduled for Saturday in Martin, S.D.