Castellano sidelined next three weeks after Wild Applause spill
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Jockey Javier Castellano will sit out for the next three weeks due to an issue with his lower back and general soreness as a result of the four-horse spill he was involved in during the running of the Wild Applause Stakes on July 3 at Saratoga.
Castellano will target July 29 for his return, according to his agent, Kevin Meyocks.
On Wednesday, Meyocks said, “There was a small spot on the X-ray that they couldn’t tell what it was, so they sent it to his doctor in [New York] City, who recommended that he take off a few weeks. No surgery, but in three weeks he’ll be good to go, so I said let’s shoot for the 29th.”
Castellano, 48, was named to ride three horses on Thursday’s Saratoga card but did not have any mounts on Friday or Saturday.
Castellano will have to miss an intended ride aboard The Puma in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell on July 18 at Monmouth Park. Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant trainer to his father, Gustavo Delgado Sr., said no decision has been made on who will ride the Tampa Bay Derby winner in the Haskell.
In the July 3 Wild Applause, Castellano was aboard Paris Carver, who was one of four horses who went down at the quarter pole in a chain reaction that began when I Love Giraffes, ridden by Paco Lopez, clipped heels with Pillar of Beauty, who was racing to her inside. Paris Carver, Smexy, and Lovely Grey were deemed to be okay by their connections, while I Love Giraffes suffered a fractured hip.
Lopez and fellow jockeys Tyler Gaffalione and Dylan Davis have since returned to ride. Castellano, who was initially taken to first aid at the track and then to Saratoga Hospital, took off his mounts last Saturday and Sunday.
Castellano, a four-time Eclipse Award winner and a Hall of Famer, is approaching 6,000 career wins. He currently sits at 5,992 – one ahead of Stewart Elliott – which ranks him 18th all time. Castellano’s mounts have earned $417.7 million, which puts him second all time behind only John Velazquez.