Investigators still probing jockey's death
Lake County officials Thursday continued their investigation of the still mysterious death of 46-year-old jockey Eusebio “Eddie” Razo Jr. in the detached garage of his Long Grove home Tuesday morning.
Razo's badly burned body was found after a fire in the garage and was positively identified only with the aid of dental records.
But the basic autopsy by the Lake County coroner could not itself determine the manner of Eusebio's death, and the results of toxicology tests are still pending.
Meanwhile, Lake County Sheriff's investigators and the state fire marshall are continuing their own aspects of the coordinated investigation, which includes determining the cause of the fire itself.
Razo's death stunned many in the local horse racing community, of which he had been a valued member since the 1980s.
“On behalf of our Arlington Park family, we extend our sincere condolences to the Razo family during this horrible tragedy,” Arlington Park General Manager Tony Petrillo said in a news release Thursday.
“I knew Eddie, he was a great example for all of us, and the jockey profession — Eddie will be greatly missed...” Petrillo added. “We respect the family's privacy and will wait until they feel comfortable discussing this very personal situation with us.”
Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero, which is completing its spring season this weekend, honored Razo with a moment of silence Wednesday and will name Sunday's final race after him.
Razo was born in Mexico City in 1966 and earned his jockey license when he was only 15 and still living in Mexico.
He first raced at Arlington Park after a weeklong trip to visit a cousin that turned into a two-year stay, according to his Hawthorne Race Course biography.
During his career, Razo amassed 2,692 wins, according to Daily Racing Forum statistics. He won his first riding title in 1988 at Sportsman's Park and his last in 2008 at Oaklawn Park.