Desormeaux hospitalized after being kicked by horse

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Kent Desormeaux was hospitalized Sunday after being kicked in the chest after being unseated from his mount in the post parade for the eighth race at Santa Anita.

The full extent of Desormeaux’s injuries was not known Monday morning. Mike Ciani, Desormeaux’s agent, did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday. It was not immediately known how long Desormeaux will be sidelined.

The first-time starter She’s a Big Winner reared and fell, unseating Desormeaux, when the field was being paraded in front of the stands. After the rider and filly scrambled to their feet at about the same time, Desormeaux ran several yards to grab She’s a Big Winner’s reins. As Desormeaux was adjacent to She’s a Big Winner, the filly struck him forcefully on the left side of his chest with her right hind leg.

Desormeaux fell heavily to the ground. He was transported from the track on an ambulance and later transferred to Arcadia Methodist hospital, track officials said.

She’s a Big Winner was scratched from the maiden race.

Peter Eurton, who trains She’s a Big Winner, said the filly had not shown that sort of behavior before. Eurton said he was quickly at Desormeaux’s side after the incident and that the jockey was in considerable pain.

Desormeaux, 44, had won three races earlier on the program. A member of racing’s Hall of Fame, Desormeaux was a leading rider in California in the 1990s and into the 2000s before moving east. Desormeaux resumed riding in California this year and had a successful summer, finishing second in the standings at Del Mar with 32 wins.