NEWS
Former jockey Olivares dies at 66
Posted: Friday, January 19, 2007 12:01 PM
Former jockey Jose Olivares died of an apparent heart attack on Wednesday night at his home in Tampa. He was 66.
Olivares is a member of the Finger Lakes and Oriental Park at Calder Race Course halls of fame.
Olivares, a native of Cuba, won the Finger Lakes jockey title six times in a seven-year span from 1964 to 1970. His riding career ended on September 17, 1970, when he was paralyzed from the chest down in a spill at the Farmington, New York, track.
Olivares won the New York Breeders' Futurity at Finger Lakes with Prophet Wise in 1963, Happy Gold in ’67, and Egobreeze in ’69. Named "Most Courageous Athlete " by the Rochester Press-Radio Club in 1971, Olivares collected 791 career wins.
Following the accident, Olivares played an active role in the Jockeys’ Guild and worked with the Disabled Jockey Fund.
Olivares is survived by his wife Gladys. A public memorial service will be held on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Tampa Bay Downs. Donations in Olivares's memory are suggested to NTRA Charities Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
