Lapensee Dies From Injuries
Jockey Michel Lapensee died at Massachusetts General Hospital late Friday night from injuries he sustained in an accident during last Monday’s ninth race at Suffolk Downs, in which the six-year-old gelding Mecke’s Money broke down on the far turn, throwing the rider. The 58-year-old Lapensee was a regular on the New England circuit for 30 years, winning 2,678 races out of more than 20,000 starts. He was honored with a moment of silence at the beginning of Suffolk’s Saturday card. In response to the accident, the racetrack has upgraded the track ambulance crew to include a paramedic, a move that won praise from Jockeys’ Guild representative Darrell Haire: “Suffolk Downs is doing the right thing.”
A funeral mass for Lapensee will be held at St. Edward’s Church in Providence on November 3 at 11 a.m. More information can be found on the Suffolk Downs news page.
