Jockey Killed On Racecourse In 'One In A Million' Accident

A jockey in the US was killed on the racecourse in a 'one in a million' accident. Watch a report on the tragedy here:

Eduardo Gutierrez Sosa was killed during the first race of the Crooked River Roundup Horse Races in Oregon on Wednesday (14 July).

Eyewitnesses said the 29-year-old's horse, Godfather Advice - which had raced just once before - hit a railing, and Gutierrez Sosa was subsequently thrown to the ground.

He died from the injuries he sustained in the fall.

Doug Smith, the director of racing, told NewsChannel 21: "To think that a young man lost his life last night just leaves us heartbroken to no end.

"It's one of those things that doesn't happen. It's never happened here.

"We are just absolutely heartbroken. This just leaves us totally saddened."

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Gutierrez Sosa's long-time friend, horse trainer Dustie Crystal, said the accident was a 'one in a million'.

She said: "It's hard for some of us.

"Some of us just want to go home and not have the rest of the race meet. But we all know that, Sosa being the person he is, he'd want us to stay."

"It's not something that usually happens. I mean, it's a one-in-a-million shot that it even happened."

Prineville Police Department is now investigating the death in conjunction with the state racing board.

In a statement, Captain Larry Seymour said: "On July 14th at around 7:40 PM, a tragic accident resulted in the death of a jockey at the Crook County Fairgrounds during the Horse Racing event.

"On the first race of the night, Jockey Eduardo Gutierrez Sosa (29) was thrown from his horse and died from injuries sustained from the fall.

"Wednesday's races were cancelled out of respect for the fallen jockey.

"Prineville PD along with the State Racing Board are conducting a joint investigation into the accident."

The statement added: "Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the family, fellow riders, and friends of the family.

"Several citizens donated their tickets from last night's races to the family. The races will continue this week, and there will be donation buckets located at the betting windows for those that would like to contribute to his family."

Topics: Horse, SPORT, US News

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey