Former Jockey Luis Garcia Dead at 51

Retired rider Luis Alejandro Garcia, who was one of the most popular and well-liked jockeys on the old Rockingham Park-Suffolk Downs circuit, died Dec. 16 in Palm Bay, Fl. He was 51.  

"Luis was a bright light in the jockeys' room and a vibrant member of the New England racing community as well as a skilled rider. His sense of humor was infectious. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who loved him. In his name we will be making a donation to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund," said Jessica Paquette, the spokesperson for Sterling Suffolk Racecourse.

Garcia, who grew up in the borough of Brooklyn, Ny, started riding in 1991 and won his first race that year at Rockingham Park on April 5. Over his 25-year career, during which he also rode at tracks along the East Coast, he compiled a record of 827-921-988 from 8,549 mounts who earned $8,341,397, according to Equibase statistics.

"I rode with Luis in Boston and at The Rock and here in Florida for a long time," said former jockey and current exercise rider Vernon Bush from his winter base at Tampa Bay Downs. "He was a really good guy. He was always making jokes and had everybody in the room laughing. After I heard the news and before I went to bed last night I said a prayer for him, and I said to God, 'I know he's with you, and I know he's got all the guys up there laughing.' All of us who knew him are sad today."

Though Garcia never won a stakes race, he was respected on the racetrack, and his services were in demand by trainers.

"He was a good rider and good to ride against out there. He was an aggressive rider and he rode hard to win every time but he never got in your way," said Bush. "He always respected the other riders and we respected him. He gave it his best every race. He just loved being a jockey and loved the horses. He loved being out there."

The presence of Garcia, who rode his last race at Delaware Park on Aug. 15, 2016, was also in demand by racetrack publicity and marketing departments because his enthusiasm for the sport and the industry was apparent. Along with his desire to help promote racing, he was bright, personable, well-spoken, and fluent in Spanish and English and that made him an effective ambassador for the tracks.  

Within hours of his passing hundreds of expressions of sympathy and tributes to Garcia from the racing community, his family, and friends began appearing on multiple Facebook pages and other social media platforms.

At the time of his death, Garcia was living with his mother, Irma Y Cerezo, and sister in Florida. Arrangements are pending.