Bizarre stumble leaves jockey briefly on another horse

Jesus Castanon was all turned around – literally.

For a few incredible moments early in the eighth race Friday at Tampa Bay Downs, the 44-year-old jockey found himself facing backward while seated on the rump of a rival horse after being dislodged from his mount, Zouzou, who stumbled badly as the 3-2 favorite in a $16,000 claiming race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

“It felt like I was living in slow motion,” Castanon said Monday.

In a matter of three or four strides, Castanon fell off the other horse, Latika Love, and was fortunate not to be injured or concussed. In fact, he returned Saturday to ride two winners from four mounts.

“I feel very lucky,” said Castanon, whose 2,428 career victories in North America include the 2011 Preakness with Shackleford.

The Friday incident was so bizarre that replays soon went viral on social media after being uploaded on Twitter by Andrew “Shades” Demsky, the in-house simulcast analyst at Tampa in Oldsmar, Fla.

Yesterday, jockey Jesus "The Smokin' Gun" Castanon (green silks, black cap) was unseated from his mount in the 8th race @TampaBayDownsFL . Before hitting the ground, he decided to briefly ride the horse next to him - backwards! @espn @TVG @DRFMcGee Castanon rode 2 winners today! pic.twitter.com/s9fXW8AOKj

— Shades' Plays (@TampaShades) January 28, 2018

Prominent trainer Graham Motion happened to be watching the race from his main base at Palm Meadows on the Atlantic coast and wrote later on Twitter he “couldn’t believe my eyes … think about this the next time you complain about a poor ride.”

This was the second time in less than three months that Castanon was uninjured in a blooper-reel spill. On Nov. 2 on the Churchill Downs turf, he was about to cross under the wire a winner on Good Offense when the horse suddenly spooked, unseating him.

“I’ve never been in a spill like either one of those,” said Castanon, who has ridden since 1989. “I feel like I’ve been in every kind.”