Jock agent French dies at 44

Joe French, 44, a jockey agent in Delaware and Maryland, died last Saturday at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del.

French was a native of Charles Town, W. Va., where he rode horses while completing his senior year of high school. As an agent, he handled the book for Juan Umana during his Eclipse Award-winning apprentice season in 1993. Most recently, French was the agent for Jose Caraballo at Delaware Park.

In addition to his parents, Thomas and Maxine Shadrach of Charles Town, French is survived by three uncles, one of whom is Hall of Fame rider Bill Hartack.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. next Monday at the Melvin T. Strider Colonial Funeral Home in Charles Town.

The family requests that memorial contributions be sent to the Charles Town Race Track Chaplaincy Fund, P.O. Box 1377, Charles Town, WV, 25414.