A jockey who enjoyed a successful 44-year racing career died Sunday after falling from his horse at the Rillito Park Racetrack in Tucson.

Richard Gamez, 67, fell from his horse during the fifth race of the day, according to racetrack officials. He was taken to Banner University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.

Gamez was riding 5-year-old gelding Drama is Overrated when the horse stumbled and he was unseated, officials said. Horse Racing Nation reported that Gamez was in the lead at the time of the incident.

“We are devastated to have lost a member of our Rillito family,” Rillito Park Racetrack officials wrote in a statement on social media.

The Rillito Park Foundation reported that Gamez had been riding at the track since he was a child. He acquired 643 wins from 4,642 mounts spread out over a career that began in 1976.

American Quarter Horse Association records show that Gamez earned more than $1.2 million over the course of his career. His best season came during the year 2000, when he brought in more than $168,334.

Gamez stopped competing for an extended time after 2002, but returned in 2018.

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