Apprentice Barnes escapes serious injury in spill

ARCADIA, Calif. – Apprentice rider Jose Barnes was not seriously injured Thursday at Santa Anita after being unseated soon after the start of race 5. Barnes, 20, was riding Esmeralda Belle, who stumbled after the break of the claiming sprint and pitched Barnes to the ground.

“I went flying over, her front legs jumped over me, and I was clipped by her hind leg,” Barnes said by phone Friday morning.

Barnes was taken by ambulance to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where he underwent X-rays and a CAT scan. He was released Thursday evening. He said Friday he has some ringing in his ear and planned to see an ear specialist later in the day. The initial diagnosis was a slight rupture of an eardrum. Barnes said he did not sustain a concussion.

Barnes won 27 races in South Africa. He began riding in the United States in May, won his first race May 7 at Golden Gate Fields, and has a 1-for-14 record in the U.S.