Jaramillo avoids serious harm in a bad-beat tale for the ages

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There is never a shortage of bad-beat stories when horseplayers gather, but it would be difficult to match the tale one unknown player can now tell following a bizarre incident that took place approaching the wire in Thursday’s finale at Gulfstream.

Thursday’s 10th race began with two horses, Nonno Nino and Cryogenic, alive for the entire jackpot of more than $577,000 in the Rainbow 6, a pool that had gone unsolved and grown steadily for 14 days. Inside the sixteenth pole, Cryogenic (8-1) seemed on his way to certain victory after drawing well clear of the field, only to duck from a right-handed stick, losing his jockey, Emisael Jaramillo, within 40 yards of the finish line.

Fortunately, Jaramillo escaped serious injury as his fellow riders did a remarkable job guiding their mounts around him. Jaramillo was expected to be released from the hospital on Friday and to miss about a week while recuperating.

The condition of the player who held the potential winning ticket in the Rainbow 6 remained unknown.