A teenage jockey has been tragically killed after two horses collided in a horrific training accident.
Daniel Quintero, 19, was working at Tampa Bay Downs racecourse in Florida on Saturday when the incident occurred at around 7am local time, with the teenager dying instantly.
His horse is believed to have bolted the wrong way around the track , colliding with another horse coming in the opposite direction. Both horses and the other jockey escaped without injury, it has been confirmed.
A minute’s silence was held at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday to honour the teenager, who was born in Venezuela before moving to the US.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it was called to an incident at 7am local time.
Racing Post reports Quintero had previously ridden at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Bech and only recently moved to Tampa Bay Downs.
A tweet from the course read: “Exercise rider Daniel Quintero, 19, died as a result of a training accident this morning at Tampa Bay Downs. The entire racetrack community expresses its condolences to his family members and friends.”
Colleague Sydney Fried said: “I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile on his face and he was always trying to put a smile on yours.
“He was willing and wanted to learn, and the last thing he was was lazy. You don’t get better unless you put in the work and Daniel wasn’t afraid to do just that.
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@TampaBayDownsFL/Twitter)
“It’s very sad because he would be one of the first ones to say ‘good morning’ every day.
“Daniel was an intelligent young man He was always paying attention to everything around him. He never hesitated to ask any questions and once he got the answer he learned very quick.”
Legendary jockey Edgar Prado was among those to pay tribute to the teenager while a minutes silence was also held at a number of local tracks before races on Saturday.
