Barrios hurts neck in spill at Pinnacle

Ricardo Barrios will miss an undetermined amount of time in the saddle after he injured his neck in a spill Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Race Course.

"Barrios never lost feeling or motion," said clerk of scales James Long. "He's wearing a neck brace now and is going to be fitted with a halo this week. He's the kind that doesn't like to sit still."

In Monday's sixth race, Circus Joy broke down along the rail and sent Barrios to the ground hard. Circus Joy was euthanized on the track while Barrios was taken away by ambulance. He had led the jockey standings for two months before suffering a hand injury and was currently in fourth place with 41 wins.

A meet-and-greet was held Friday at Pinnacle with horsemen, track representatives and Patricia Lockwood, the new acting racing commissioner. Alternative forms of gambling, such as video lottery terminals, was discussed. Gary Tinkle, executive director of the state Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said that Lockwood wanted to support and promote the industry.

Lazy Nathan became the first five-time winner at the meeting Tuesday, when he came close to breaking the track record, running 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.96 under jockey Alexis Ortiz. He now sports a record of 5 wins and 2 seconds in 7 starts. Sandra Adkins trains Lazy Nathan for Charlie Williams. The 5 1/2-furlong record of 1:04.89 was set a year ago by Lazy Nathan's stablemate Starlits Mission.