Cindy Murphy fractures pelvis, ribs in riding accident
Jockey Cindy Murphy sustained pelvic and rib injuries in a Sunday incident at Prairie Meadows and remained in an Iowa hospital on Wednesday, according to her husband, trainer Travis Murphy. Cindy Murphy, 60, was unseated by a 2-year-old first-time starter prior to the start of the sixth race Sunday.
“It was their turn to load in the gate and the filly just got scared from a horse rattling in the gate,” said Travis Murphy. “She ran backwards and lost her footing and fell over, fell into Cindy’s lap.”
Travis Murphy said his wife fractured her pelvis in four places, cracked ribs and suffered a tear to an abdominal muscle. She remains in Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, he said, but has been moved from the ICU unit to the preventative care unit once it was determined she would not need surgery. Travis Murphy said he anticipates his wife will be back to full mobility in about six months.
“The ribs will heal in a matter of weeks,” he said. “The pelvis will take longer.”
The Murphys work together at Prairie Meadows, where Travis Murphy has about 25 horses in training. He said he added to his numbers this year because his wife is approaching a riding milestone. She is eight wins from a milestone of 2,000 career Thoroughbred victories in North America, according to a notice from Equibase.
Overall, Murphy has won 2,019 races, with 27 of her victories on Quarter Horses, according to records from Daily Racing Form. Her 18,340 mounts have earned more than $24 million.