OLDSMAR, Fla. — Longtime Tampa Bay-area horse trainer Robert A. “Bobby” Raymond died this past weekend of septic shock.
Tampa Bay Downs announced the 74-year-old's death, saying his leg had become infected during a visit Wednesday to Mobbly Beach Park in Oldsmar.
In a release, the race track explained Raymond had gone to the beach with his wife and waded into the water with a small cut on his leg. Bacteria entered the open wound. Over the next two days, his leg grew inflamed and he began shivering, leading him to be rushed to Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor.
Inside the hospital, his condition worsened. He was pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
In addition to being a successful horse trainer, Bobby Raymond was a father, grandfather and father figure.
"He was everybody's dad," his son, Robert Raymond II, told 10 Tampa Bay.
"So many people loved him," said his wife, Kathy Raymond.
"He did so much for so many people," said Robert. "Some people only think about number one. He was always thinking of number two."
During his 43-year career, Raymond trained 1,294 winners, according to Tampa Bay Downs. This past March, he was honored as Salt Rock Tavern Trainer of the Month.
“He never stopped fighting. His heart was so big,” his son Rob Raymond wrote in a statement. “He hardly ever took a minute for himself. He had a great love for the animals and all the people he was involved with. He never had a problem helping someone on the backstretch who was in need."
Rob said his family has received condolences from people living everywhere from Cuba to Canada.
“He touched so many people, and the outpouring of love and affection we’ve received the last 24 hours has been unbelievable,” Rob added.
Raymond was a Rhode Island native and owned Bobkat Stable farm in North Smithfield. He got into training at Suffolk Downs in 1979 and later made Tampa Bay Downs his winter base in the early 2000s. Before that, he had shoed horses and worked at racetrack starting gates.
“When I was a kid, he was off all the time to New York, Finger Lakes, Rockingham Park, Suffolk – whatever track was racing. He was so in tune with the sport,” Rob told Tampa Bay Downs.
Raymond also mentored the late jockey Jill Jellison, who rode 1,913 winners before dying of breast cancer in 2015. Raymond is survived by his wife, son and two brothers.
This type of infection is rare, health officials say.
"I want to reassure people that these cases are rare," said Dr. Jill Roberts with USF College of Public Health. "There are definitely things that lead these kind of cases to be fatal and fortunately that’s not common in most people."
Roberts says fatal infections are possible when someone is immunocompromised or has comorbidities, and risk increases with age.
"If you think you're at risk, talk to your doctor. They're the ones that know your history and can actually let you know what activities are high risk and which ones are safe," said Roberts.
10 Investigates has reported extensively on bacteria in Florida's waters. You can learn more by clicking here.