Martí Fluxà Sansó, living memory of Manacor trotting and of an unrepeatable era

ManacorThe world of trotting in Mallorca experienced, during the decade of the seventies, one of the periods of greatest expansion, intensity, and splendor in its recent history. Those years were marked by a notable growth in popular interest, by the consolidation of horse racing as a first-class social spectacle, and by the arrival of horses from abroad, which contributed to raising the competitive level of the tracks. The racecourses, and especially that of Manacor, became nerve centers of an activity that transcended the sporting sphere to also become a cultural, social, and identity expression. During that decade, and it is not an exaggeration to say so, the Manacor racecourse was one of the most active in Europe.

In that context of collective euphoria, a generation of young people emerged who enthusiastically began in the stables, in the handling of horses, and in the first steps of competition. Many of those children, over time, ended up moving away from the world of trotting, conditioned by economic difficulties, the lack of stable professionalization, and the progressive transformation of the sector. However, from that generation, the figure of Martí Fluxà Sansó emerged strongly, a man who turned trotting not only into a sporting activity, but into a way of understanding life.

Born in Manacor in 1958, Martí Fluxà grew up immersed in an environment where horses were part of the daily landscape and social life. The influence of his father, a great fan of trotting, was decisive in his first contacts with this world. From a very young age, he began to frequent the stables, especially those of Ca’n Prim, where he carried out the first tasks of animal care.

Those apparently humble beginnings were the starting point of a long, intense, and fruitful career that, over the years, would establish him as one of the most complete and respected figures in Manacor trotting.

In parallel to his training in the equestrian world, Fluxà developed his working life in a pearl company, a job he combined for years with his passion for horses. This double dedication defined a large part of his character: disciplined in work, but absolutely dedicated to trotting in his free time. It was not uncommon for him to go directly to his stables in Pla after finishing his workday, where he continued his work with almost unalterable constancy. Over time, this dedication led him to participate in the creation and development, in the eighties, of the Perlas Manacor stable, a project that united his professional environment with his sporting vocation. From this stable, many pearl workers who were small owners still fondly remember the successes of Creta and the misfortunes of Herga, a filly on whom great expectations had been generated.

However, his first competition horses marked the beginning of a career that would grow over time. Rocinante was the first horse he raced, followed by Renaldo B, with whom he began to gain experience on the tracks. After military service, his career took a new impetus with the acquisition of horses like Dani –remembered by fans for his gigantic size– and Nirvana, animals that consolidated his presence in the competitive circuit.

Over the years, his stable expanded with outstanding specimens such as Harlem and Faraon R. S. But, if there was one horse that profoundly marked his life, it was Quito des Noels, acquired by Fluxà when he was already thirteen years old, after having passed through the stables of Es Cabanells and ZK. With Martí, Quito des Noels still participated in notable successes for some more years, despite the chronic injuries he suffered, and died in his stables serving as a stallion.

His connection with the equestrian world was not limited to the racetracks. In the late eighties, he promoted the Triangle cafeteria, an establishment that soon became an essential meeting place for trotting enthusiasts in Manacor. That bar, located on Rambla del Rei en Jaume, at the corner of Via de Portugal, became a true place of worship: a spot where experiences, strategies, debates, anecdotes, and memories of the equestrian world were shared. Later, he continued his involvement with the sector from Rancho Can Bulla.

Fluxà was also a merchant, knowledgeable about the value of animals and the importance of knowing how to look at a horse beyond its appearance. He had that eye characteristic of men who have lived among stables, who know how to read an animal's character in its gesture, its gait, its gaze, and the way it responds to the hand of its handler. Martí, incidentally, was left-handed, and he humorously attributed his successes to this fact.

Throughout his life, he constantly participated in popular and official races throughout the island. There was practically no town in Mallorca where he had not competed, attended, or been present as a protagonist of that vibrant circuit rooted in the territory. He also took part in deeply cherished popular celebrations, such as the Sant Antoni procession, where the horse is not just a competition animal, but also a symbol of festivity, tradition, and collective identity. Likewise, during August, he always organized an informal equestrian gathering where everyone – from promising youngsters to veterans, including occasional handlers – had a place.

Martí was also a social activist. On October 31, 1987, the demand for a hospital for Manacor filled the streets of Ciutat with a historic demonstration that marked a before and after in the collective consciousness of the Llevant of Mallorca. Among banners, shouts, and popular support, one image stood out, etched in the memory of many: Fulminant, hitched to a cart led by Martí, parading with a protest sign demanding a dignified hospital for Manacor and its region. That scene symbolized the strength of a people tired of healthcare deficiencies and determined to make their voices heard before the institutions.

His last race as a handler was in 2016, a moment that symbolized the end of an extensive sporting career, but not the end of his connection with trotting. Because men like Martí Fluxà never completely retire from what they love. They may stop competing, they may abandon the sulky and reins in an official race, but they continue to be part of the world they have helped to build. Their presence, their word, and their memory will continue to be references for many. Martí, who passed away last year, leaves a lineage of two sons, Joan and Jaume, who have inherited his passion and evolved it towards professionalism.

In the institutional sphere, his career was also significant. He actively participated in the Trot Cooperative, where he reached executive responsibilities, and later assumed the presidency of the Trot Sports Society. This involvement placed him at the center of the sector's organizational decisions at a time when trotting was undergoing important transformations and needed new management structures, greater solidity, and a vision capable of combining tradition and future.

His view of the sector was always critical but constructive. He considered that certain practices, such as the well-known 'pulling back', had damaged the credibility of the races.

Regarding horse preparation, Fluxà advocated a methodology based on consistency, discipline, and absolute respect for the animal. Horses, according to his experience, needed daily exercise, a balanced diet, vitamins, and personalized attention according to their physical and temperamental characteristics. This work philosophy, applied with rigor and patience, was one of the keys to his success.

I knew Martí personally. I remember the last times, conversations in Plaça de Santa Catalina, leading the Manacor expeditions to Maó to participate in the May festival, and having visited his stables, where we had a horse. Even though it was already anachronistic, in the early 2000s I still remember summer evenings strolling around a training track on a hay cart pulled by Dolça des Nells, with a couple of young people on top and half a dozen beasts harnessed.

His death did not mean oblivion. Quite the contrary: today there is a memorial that keeps his name and legacy alive in the world of trotting. This recognition is not only a tribute to a man, but also to a way of understanding passion, work, and fidelity to a passion. The memorial reminds us that there are careers that are not erased, because they have left their mark on the tracks, in the stables, in the towns, and affect all horsemen. Because trotting, when lived with the intensity with which Martí Fluxà lived it, does not end with one person: it continues in family stories, in the names of horses, in old photographs – many of which were taken by his friend Bernat Sureda – in bar conversations and on race days.

Martí Fluxà Sansó thus remains an essential figure in the recent history of Manacor trotting: a living memory of an unrepeatable time, a witness to a passion without reservations, and a symbol of those men who, without making noise, build an essential part of the history of racing in Manacor.