Civaci injures back, out at least a month

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Sahin Civaci suffered another setback in his bid to start his New York riding career.

Civaci suffered a hairline fracture of the T4 and T5 vertebrae in his back as the result of being unseated by his mount, Despo’s Dream, who stumbled at the break of Thursday’s seventh race at Aqueduct. Initially, it was believed that Civaci suffered broken ribs, according to his agent Mike Sellitto, but an MRI performed Friday morning showed something different.

Sellitto said he told Civaci to take “as much time as you need” to get healed and get back to riding. Civaci is expected to be out for at least a month.

Last year, Civaci got off to a pretty good start at Aqueduct, winning 15 races during the first six weeks of the winter meet, before suffering a back injury that sidelined him for 11 weeks. Civaci, who has been among the top riders at Woodbine, is attempting to move his tack permanently to New York.

Meanwhile, Jose Gomez, who was involved in a spill at Aqueduct on Nov. 7, has been cleared to return and is expected to be named on horses beginning with the Nov. 20 card.

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