Jerry Bozzo, who passed away at the age of 98 Sunday, Nov. 11, was remembered Wednesday as a gentleman and a hard-working horseman.
Bozzo graduated from Carnegie Tech (the modern-day Carnegie Mellon University) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A retired aeronautical engineer, industrialist and veteran of World War II, Bozzo sold his Pennsylvania bottle manufacturing company in 1969 and trained and bred horses in South Florida for the better part of a half-century.
“My favorite times with Jerry had nothing to do with the horses,” said his colleague and longtime friend Phil Combest. “We were baseball fans and we talked baseball right up to a month ago. He was as sharp as a tack right up to the end. It's hard to be a Marlins fan, but we both kind of hung in there with them.”
Bozzo became the oldest trainer in history to win a race when he saddled Cotton Tooyah to a victory at Gulfstream Park at the age of 96 on June 3, 2017. He surpassed the previous record set by Noble Threewitt, who last visited the winner's circle a few months after he turned 95. Bozzo had already become the oldest trainer to saddle a stakes winner when his homebred Flutterby won the Sea Lily S. at Gulfstream in 2015 before finishing second in the GII Princess Rooney S.
“He was a great gentleman. It was a pleasure to ride for him, but it was also a pleasure to know him,” said jockey Luca Panici, who rode frequently for Bozzo, including back-to-back victories aboard homebred Gusty Wind during Gulfstream Park's Summer Meet this year. “I've known him since I began riding here at Calder. He was a good horseman and a really, really good gentleman.
“I was more happy for him than for me when we won a race,” Panici continued. “Training a horse, having a winner, kept him in good shape. He had an amazing history, being in World War II and his business. He was always a pleasure to be around. More than business, it was a pleasure to talk with him and have a conversation in the mornings.”
Per Bozzo's request, no memorial service has been scheduled.
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