Espinoza seeking third opinion on spine injury
ARCADIA, Calif. – The return of jockey Victor Espinoza from injuries sustained last summer has been postponed.
Brian Beach, Espinoza’s agent, said Friday that the popular rider plans to seek opinions from doctors in the near future regarding the condition of his spine, which was injured in a training accident at Del Mar last July.
Espinoza worked a horse on Jan. 5 at Santa Anita but has not scheduled any additional workouts. Espinoza, 46, received a favorable diagnosis from a doctor in December, allowing him to return to the saddle for workouts. Another doctor has recommended a more cautious approach, Beach said, leading to the decision to seek a third opinion.
“We’re on hold,” Beach said. “We’ll get another opinion. He’s feeling good after he worked that horse. He’s got a doctor that has a different opinion than the other doctor.
“You can’t just go with the answer you want to hear. He’ll continue to do his therapy. In football terms, we have to make sure he’s ready for full contact.”
Espinoza had hoped to resume riding in the final weeks of January. On Friday, Beach did not put a time line on any return, pending consultations with doctors.
