Columbus track report

COLUMBUS, Neb. - Jerry Carkeek, injured in a three-horse spill at the Columbus Races last Saturday evening, will be out of action for at least four weeks.

Carkeek, who was released from an Omaha hospital Monday, suffered a fractured cheekbone, received stitches to his upper lip, and suffered a head injury that had doctors concerned over the weekend. Carkeek said Wednesday he's feeling fine now but is not to put himself into any dangerous situations until he has time to fully recuperate from the spill.

The other jockeys injured in the spill are Jiri Peterka and Chris Schooley. Peterka suffered a broken thigh bone that will put him out of action for the remainder of the year. Schooley said that her ribs had been spread a bit but nothing was broken and she was feeling much better on Wednesday morning while accepting mounts for this weekend's races.

* Megan Ludlow was named on seven horses for Friday night and will shift her tack back to Columbus from Minnesota's Canterbury Park.

* With five weekends of racing remaining in the meet, there is a shortage of riders here as there are only 11 jockeys accepting mounts.