Apprentice jockey Hazlewood injured in auto wreck; Torrealba unhurt
J.G. Torrealba and Yedsit Hazlewood, leading jockeys at Laurel Park, were in a car accident early Tuesday morning. Torrealba was unharmed in the incident, but Hazlewood sustained multiple injuries and is expected to miss significant time.
According to trainer Jose Corrales, who helped Hazlewood travel to the United States and find mounts earlier this year, the two jockeys were traveling back from New York and were attempting to maneuver around a car ahead of them. The trainer said that they hit a rail beside the road, which flipped the car.
Hazlewood broke several ribs and required surgery to have a plate inserted in his wrist. The setback will likely keep him out of action for at least seven weeks, if not longer. Corrales estimated it may take as many as three months. According to agent Simon Purdy, Torrealba was back in the saddle Wednesday morning and will race this weekend.
Torrealba, 23, has been riding at Laurel since 2023 and won his first riding title last year. Hazlewood, 17, earned his 22nd victory in the United States last weekend. With 150 starts under his belt, the leading apprentice rider in Maryland was expected to have an eventful summer campaign, one that will now be delayed while he recovers.
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