Blanc could return to riding over weekend after injuring foot

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Brice Blanc said on Sunday that he hopes to resume riding as early as next weekend after he was stepped on by a horse behind the gate at Santa Anita on May 7.

Blanc said he sustained no broken bones when he jumped from Albayaader, only for the filly to promptly step on his right foot.

“It literally ripped my boot off,” he said.

Blanc was briefly hospitalized that evening. He was released and told to rest the foot.

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“It’s a slow process,” he said over the weekend. “There is not a lot to do besides icing.”

Blanc said on Sunday that he will monitor the foot before deciding whether to take any mounts over the weekend. Blanc, 49, has won three races from 51 mounts this year, including the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields on April 30 on Evening Sun.

For comfort, Blanc did not wear a shoe in the week after the incident.

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“I’ve been in flip-flops all week,” he said. “I guess I’m prepping for Del Mar with flip-flops.”

Eurton fined

Trainer Peter Eurton was fined $1,000 by Santa Anita stewards Luis Jauregui, David Nuesch, and Kim Sawyer on Friday for failing to report that Octopus had been gelded before he was entered to race on April 15.

Octopus was withdrawn from the race because of the lack of information. California trainers are required to report when horses are gelded before entries are taken.

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Last Friday, Octopus raced as a gelding for the first time in Friday’s fourth race, finishing sixth of seven as the 3-1 second choice.