Beckon out of critical care after spill

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jockey Chad Beckon, hospitalized since being involved in a serious spill at Woodbine last Wednesday evening, is still in Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre but has been moved out of critical care into intensive care, his agent Anthony Esposito reported Tuesday morning.

"He's still a little foggy, and has lost some short-term memory," said Esposito. "He had a second CT scan and it showed trace bleeding and still some swelling in the brain. But he's getting up, with some help. We're optimistic, but still very concerned."

Beckon also suffered fractures to two vertebrae, a cheekbone, and his nose after his mount, Oliver's Strike, went down hard during the running of the third race.

Oliver's Strike was dead by the time the track veterinarian reached him and is believed to have suffered a heart attack.