Legendary Southern California Jockey Francisco "Paco" Mena Dies at 78

Francisco "Paco" Mena, the Southern California jockey who ruled Pomona's bullring circuits for more than a decade and guided celebrity-owned Telly's Pop through one of the most colorful campaigns in California-bred racing history, died last week in Rosarito, Mexico. He was 78.

Mena, one of the reigning "Kings" of the Pomona bullring, passed away last week at age 78. Born in 1947 in Jalisco, Mexico, he came north and began riding in Southern California in the mid-1970s, quickly carving out a reputation as the circuit's most relentless small-track competitor. He became so dominant at Pomona that he was once the all-time winningest jockey at the venue, earning the nickname "King of the Bullring" that would follow him for the rest of his life.

His most celebrated partnership came with Telly's Pop, a Bold Combatant colt bred by trainer Mel Stute and sold to actor Telly Savalas and producer-director Howard Koch for $6,000, with Stute staying on to condition the horse. Mena is probably best remembered for teaming in 1975-76 with the popular four-time graded winner and Cal-bred Telly's Pop, who was owned by actor Telly Savalas. In 1975 alone, Mena and Telly's Pop won the Del Mar Futurity, the Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita, and the California Juvenile Stakes at Bay Meadows. As a 3-year-old, the pair added the California Derby at Golden Gate, though a favored run in that season's Santa Anita Derby ended in a fifth-place finish. Telly's Pop retired with a record of 17 starts: 6-1-2 and $353,995 in earnings.

Mena's ledger extended well beyond Telly's Pop. His leading mounts included Grade I winners First Albert and Landcaper, along with California-bred graded stakes winners Double Discount and Scherando. According to Equibase statistics, Mena rode 931 winners over the course of his career and earned more than $1.3 million in purse money, a figure the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association placed higher at more than $13 million.

His brother and fellow former jockey, Guillermo Mena, remembered Francisco as a man whose reputation in the jocks' room matched what he showed in public. "My brother was just a true gentleman," Guillermo said. "He was well-liked and respected by his fellow riders. He was one of those guys who would give you the coat off his back if you needed it."

After retiring, Francisco returned to Mexico and had been staying with family before recently settling into a place of his own along the Pacific coast. "He just recently decided he wanted to live on his own," Guillermo said. "He got a nice little place by the ocean in Rosarito."

Funeral services will be held Sunday, March 31 at 2:30 p.m. at the Guadalupan Missionaries of the Most Holy Sacrament Parish in Rosarito.