Jockey Desormeaux injured in spill, out until mid-February

ARCADIA, Calif. - Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux is expected to be sidelined until mid-February after sustaining a fractured rib in a one-horse spill at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Desormeaux was released from a local hospital Saturday evening, according to his agent, J.R. Pegram.

“He’s going to be out three to four weeks,” Pegram said Sunday morning. “That’s all I know at this time. He’s at home and he’s resting comfortably. It’s a slow-healing process.”

:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Santa Anita Clocker Report

Desormeaux, 50, was unseated when Scat’s Choice sustained a fatal injury to a foreleg in the day’s fifth race, a sprint for $25,000 claimers.

Desormeaux has one win from 30 mounts at the current Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Well known for winning the Kentucky Derby three times, Desormeaux returned to riding in late December after a five-month break in which he underwent in-patient treatment for alcoholism. He won for the first time since late July on New Year’s Eve.

The injury comes at a time when Desormeaux has yet to win a stakes during his comeback, but has ridden three mounts to second- and third-place finishes, including None Above the Law's second-place finish in the California Cup Derby on Jan. 16.