LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Forty-two-year-old Odanis "Cuba" Acuna, a veteran exercise rider for trainer Kenny McPeek, died in a training accident early Saturday morning.
Track officials said in a release the accident happened around 5:45 a.m. while Acuna was riding unraced 2-year-old colt, New York Harbor. They were nearing completion of the morning workout when the colt and Acuna suddenly fell about a sixteenth of a mile before the finish line. Officials said New York Harbor "endured catastrophic injuries."
The Daily Racing Form reports New York Harbor, a Verrazano colt, had to be euthanized.
Authorities said this is the first known training accident at Churchill Downs that resulted in the death of an exercise rider in several decades.
In a statement, McPeek said, “When he started with me he had little or nothing and he got himself pretty well setup and had been saving money. He bought himself a car and was getting ready to buy a house. He was hard at it all day, every day. We worked together a long time and he traveled with us wherever we went. He rode a lot of my best horses for years and was a guy who could handle just about any horse you put him on. He was just a good guy and loved what he was doing. I am just sickened by this tragedy.”
The Daily Racing Form's report said Acuna was fatally injured when New York Harbor broke down in both front legs. As a result, Acuna suffered fatal head and neck injuries and it's believed that Acuna died instantly.
“Today is a somber day,” Churchill Downs Racetrack President Kevin Flanery said in a released statement. “We extend our deepest sympathy to Odanis’ family, friends, colleagues and the entire team at trainer Kenny McPeek’s barn. Our hearts are with them in this difficult time of extreme sorrow.”
After the accident, training at the track was canceled for the rest of the morning. A moment of silence was observed in Acuna's honor before Saturday afternoon's first race.
Acuna leaves behind a wife and three sons in Cuba. He was living out his American dream and was working to bring his family to Louisville. His friends tell WDRB the sudden loss is surreal because they say it happened to someone who was genuinely wonderful.
"We have people that have worked here for more than 40 years," Darren Rogers, Churchill Downs spokesperson, said. "They can't recall an incident of this nature. He was the ideal worker you'd like in the barn area. You know, he'd get on any horse that you'd ask him to get on. He did it with a smile. He was never late."
Friends and co-workers said he worked multiple jobs in an effort to move his wife and sons from Cuba. He'd recently bought a car and was preparing to make a down payment on a home.
"The only consolation that we have is that he died doing what he loved doing. You know, he loved riding horses," Sherry Stanley, Backside Learning Center executive director, said.
A GoFundMe memorial fund account has been set up by McPeek to help with funeral arrangements and to help bring Acuna's family to Louisville. You can view the GoFundMe page by clicking here.
Funeral arrangements and a memorial service are pending.
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