Jockey Ellingwood out until mid-January with concussion

ARCADIA, Calif. - Apprentice jockey Emily Ellingwood will be sidelined until mid-January after suffering a concussion when she was unseated in deep stretch in the second race at Santa Anita on Friday.

Ellingwood said she will not ride the upcoming weekend, but hopes to return to riding later in the month.

“I’m going to take it easy for the next week,” Ellingwood said Sunday.

Ellingwood was aboard 4-1 Bright Leaf in the stretch of a starter allowance at a mile when the 2-year-old colt appeared to jump tracks while leading in the final furlong. Ellingwood fell heavily, but walked into an ambulance.

The incident gave Ellingwood little time to react, she said.

“He stretched his front two legs out,” she said. “I don’t how to describe it. He put the brakes on for a second.

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“When he did it, I was pushing forward. I was in a forward momentum already. It caught me off guard.”

On Sunday, Ellingwood said she was diagnosed on Friday with chest bruising and returned to a hospital on Saturday after experiencing nausea.

“I wanted to ride today, but that will not be happening,” she said Sunday morning.

Ellingwood, 27, would be sidelined for most of the forthcoming three-day racing week if she was able to ride. On Saturday, she was given a three-day suspension by stewards Luis Jauregui, Kim Sawyer, and Will Myers for causing interference in Friday's first race. The suspension covers racing days next Saturday and Sunday and Jan. 14.

Ellingwood, who claims seven pounds, began riding in late 2020 and has won 23 races from 233 mounts.