Apprentice injured at Aqueduct improving

Apprentice jockey Jason Gracia, seriously injured in a Nov. 27 spill at Aqueduct, has shown significant improvement during his hospitalization, according to a press release from the New York Racing Association on Thursday.

Gracia, 28, sustained broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a hairline fracture of his neck when his mount fell during the day's third race.

Initially on a ventilator at Jamaica Hospital in New York City, Gracia was transferred Wednesday to North Shore Medical Center on Long Island, where only an IV tube was inserted.