Jockey Castellano out at least two weeks with hand injury suffered in Saranac spill
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Javier Castellano said he will be out at least two weeks with “a little fracture” in his right hand as a result of the spill he was involved in during the running of Friday’s Saranac Stakes at Saratoga, the jockey told Daily Racing Form on Saturday afternoon.
Castellano, who was off his mounts at Saratoga on Saturday, will also miss the remaining two days of the meet. Among the mounts he will forfeit are Bright Future in Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup and Ferocious, the morning-line favorite in Monday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes for 2-year-olds.
“It’s a shame,” Castellano said. “I called Gustavo [Delgado, trainer of Ferocious], he’s kind of disappointed, he said, don’t worry ‘I’m glad you’re okay, let me see who’s available to ride.' I said ‘don’t worry there are a lot of good jockeys you can find in Saratoga.' ”
In 2023, Castellano teamed with Delgado to win the Kentucky Derby aboard Mage.
Castellano was injured when his mount Take Me to Church was sideswiped hard by The Big Torpedo, who suffered a fatal injury to his left foreleg in the stretch run of the Saranac. Castellano was thrown to the turf hard and was knocked unconscious momentarily. He was taken to Albany Medical Center, where X-rays were negative for any fractures.
But on Saturday, Castellano met with Dr. Rick Alfred, an orthopedic surgeon based in Ballston Spa who did further X-rays that revealed a “little fracture,” Castellano said. Castellano said he was told inflammation in his hand may have prevented the initial X-rays from revealing the fracture.
Castellano said while he had a headache Saturday, he did not have a concussion.
Castellano is scheduled to meet with a hand specialist on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury and if surgery will be necessary or if the injury would heal on its own.
“I think it’s going to be a couple of weeks, two weeks, three weeks,” Castellano said when asked how long he may miss.
Castellano, a Hall of Fame jockey and a four-time Eclipse Award winner, won 15 races from 151 mounts at this Saratoga meet. His biggest victory came in the Grade 1 Alabama aboard Power Squeeze.
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