Carmouche breaks ankle in spill, out 8 to 10 weeks

ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockey Kendrick Carmouche is expected to be out 8 to 10 weeks after breaking his right ankle in an incident leaving the starting gate in Saturday’s last race at Belmont Park.

Carmouche, who broke his right leg in a spill at Kentucky Downs in 2018, was scheduled to fly to Tennessee on Sunday afternoon and undergo surgery on Monday morning. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Philip Kregor, who operated on Carmouche in 2018.

On Saturday, Carmouche was aboard Kentucky Pharoah, a mount he picked up when Tyler Gaffalione took off. The horse, trained by Jack Sisterson, leapt in the air coming out of the gate, unseating Carmouche, who landed on his ankle.

Carmouche was at Belmont on Sunday morning with his wife Whitney, who was celebrating her 40th birthday. Supported by crutches, Carmouche looked at his wife and said “you said you wanted a surprise from the heart. How’s this for a surprise?"

Carmouche said his goal is to return by the middle of the Saratoga meet, which opens July 15.

Carmouche, 35, was enjoying a terrific eight-month period. He won the Aqueduct fall meet riding title, capped by winning the Cigar Mile, his first Grade 1 victory, last Dec. 5. He finished second in the Aqueduct winter meet standings, but in the spring pulled a 72-1 upset in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on Bourbonic, a horse he rode in both the Kentucky Derby and in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.

Carmouche is currently tied for fifth in the Belmont Park standings with Eric Cancel, both with 16 wins.