Handler at Tampa Bay Downs crushed to death by horse

TAMPA — Robert Shields worked with the thoroughbreds at Tampa Bay Downs. And Monday morning, in a fluke accident, one of them killed him.

The 60-year-old lived at the racetrack, where he served as a handler, jockey and groomer, deputies said.

Around 8 a.m., he took a 3-year-old horse named Gael Lea onto the track for some exercise. But the gelding reared up and tumbled over. Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said the force of the fall crushed Shields.

He was taken to Mease Countryside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Carter said the horse was not injured in the accident.

Margo Flynn, a spokeswoman for Tampa Bay Downs, said she couldn't release any details about the incident, the victim or the horse until today. Asked if there have been any other fatalities at the racetrack, she said, "Every day there is training at the track, there is opportunity for an accident to occur."

The Hillsborough County medical examiner recorded no other accidental deaths at Tampa Bay Downs in the past three years. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner, which is handling the case, could not be reached about whether they've seen any other similar deaths.

Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda works as a steward at the racetrack, but he wasn't there Monday. Nevertheless, he said he is familiar with how dangerous working with the horses can be.

"I've seen people get run over by a horse. I, myself, was in the hospital for 18 days after an accident," he said.

Even with safety rules in place, such as wearing helmets and protective jackets when working with the horses, accidents occur at all racetracks, Miranda said.

"We have made some things to help the industry, but sometimes, even with all that, it does happen," he said.

Gael Lea's breeder, Joanna Reisler of Ocala, said in a phone conversation that she used to ride Gael Lea on the farm.

"He was a very good horse, very kind," she said. "It's a very unfortunate accident. This has nothing to do with the horse and nothing to do with the professionals who care for him."

There are no live races at the track on Mondays, but a smattering of patrons gathered inside the gaming area Monday, watching simulcast races on television screens, seemingly unaware of what had occurred near the rain-soaked track earlier in the day.

Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at rcatalanello@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3383.