LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mitch Shirota, a veteran trainer and jockey at Churchill Downs and elsewhere, has died. He was 78.
Churchill Downs officials said he died Wednesday at a hospital in Louisville, Ky., after a long illness.
The Hawaiian-born Shirota saddled 236 winners from 1,637 career starters. Before that, he was a jockey for 15 years in Mexico, Churchill Downs and other Kentucky tracks in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Visitation and a memorial service are tentatively scheduled for Christ Chapel in the Churchill Downs stable area on Saturday.
