Cardenas will miss two weeks after suffering concussion in spill at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Jockey Luis Cardenas will miss about two weeks of action after suffering a concussion as the result of a spill in Friday’s last race at Saratoga.

Cardenas was aboard Strong Momentum when that horse fell in the stretch -- suffering a catastrophic leg fracture -- hurling Cardenas hard to the turf. Cardenas said he was unconscious for almost 2 1/2 hours.

“I had no time to react,” Cardenas said Tuesday. “Usually, when a horse makes a sudden movement, I got the opportunity to lean over and kind of roll. This time I had no shot to react. The horse went down and I remember going down and then the next thing I remember is asking my fiancée, ‘Are we in Saratoga Hospital?’ "

Cardenas had been transported by ambulance to Albany Medical Center, about 30 minutes away from Saratoga Race Course.

Cardenas, who was released from the hospital on Saturday, said doctors told him he had “a minor concussion.” Cardenas said he also felt sore in his neck and was attempting to get an appointment with a doctor for further evaluation.

“I’m still a little sore,” Cardenas said. “I got a little bit of movement.”

Cardenas was named on five horses Wednesday and two on Thursday at Saratoga.

Cardenas expressed a desire to get back in the saddle as quickly as he is allowed.

“Horse racing is an addiction,” he said. “As bad as you get hurt you want to go back to it already.”

Cardenas, 24, is a native of Peru. He rode his first winner at Aqueduct in January 2020 and was the leading apprentice rider at New York Racing Association tracks with 41 wins in 2020. He became a journeyman rider in April.