Jockey Martin Garcia tests positive for coronavirus

Martin Garcia, the journeyman jockey, has been informed by Kentucky health officials that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to his agent.

Garcia was on his way to Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, where he had a mount in a stakes race Wednesday night, when he received news of the positive test, according to his agent, Jay Fedor. Garcia was tested Tuesday at Keeneland, Fedor said, as a condition of riding at the track during its five-day summer meet.

Fedor said that Garcia had not displayed any symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Garcia was scheduled to ride Miss T Too in the $200,000 Indiana Oaks for trainer Bill Mott on Wednesday night. He replaced by Julien Leparoux at 1:38 p.m., prior to first post at the track.

“He’s on his way back right now,” Fedor said on Wednesday afternoon.

Garcia rode at Prairie Meadows in Iowa on Sunday. He raced at Los Alamitos in Southern California on Friday and Saturday, and raced at Ellis Park in Kentucky on Thursday, July 2. Prior to that, he rode at Indiana Grand on June 30 and at Churchill Downs in Kentucky for most of June.

Fedor said that Garcia tested negative at Churchill Downs when he was riding there.

People who test positive in Kentucky are subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.