Racing resumes at Parx after death of jockey Flores

Racing will resume at Parx at 12:55 p.m. Eastern on Saturday for the first time since Monday, when jockey Jose Luis Flores was fatally injured.

The Parx racing community has been in mourning for Flores since he went down in the ninth race Monday. Parx canceled its Tuesday card, and today is its next regularly scheduled race day.

The first race Saturday will undeniably be an emotional time for Parx jockeys, horsemen, employees, and fans.

Prior to the race, there will be a moment of silence in honor of Flores, a 57-year-old native of Peru who rode 2,255 winners at Parx. Track announcer Keith Jones will then read a memorial tribute over the sound system, and a video tribute to Flores will be broadcast. Parx chaplain Rick Bunker also is expected to speak.

"The hardest thing these riders will ever have to do is ride that first race, but it will also be the best thing they can do," said Sam Elliott, the track's director of racing. "The best grief counseling we can have right now is to start racing again."

Flores, a member of the Parx Hall of Fame, suffered severe cranial and spinal injuries in the accident. He never regained consciousness and was taken off life support Thursday. Flores was an organ donor.

Over the past few days, racetracks across the country have honored Flores's memory with a moment of silence before the start of their race cards.

Flores left behind a wife, former jockey Joanne McDaid-Flores; a 7-year-old son, Julian; and adult sons Juan and Junior.

GoFundMe pages to raise funds for the family have been started by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Maria Remedio, a close friend of the Flores family. As of 10:45 a.m. Saturday, they had raised a combined $48,796.

The PTHA site link is https://www.gofundme.com/PTHAsFloresFamilyFund. Remedio's GoFundMe web address is https://www.gofundme.com/dealing-with-a-loss.