Keeneland: Saez released from hospital following nasty looking spill

Jockey Gabriel Saez was released Saturday night from the University of Kentucky Medical Center after being thrown from his mount, Irish Exchange, in the 10th and last race Saturday at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Saez’s agent, Ruben Munoz, said Sunday morning that the 23-year-old jockey even wanted to ride Sunday at Keeneland but will not do so for cautionary reasons. Saez is scheduled to return Monday to the hospital for a magnetic resonance imaging test to ensure that he has no serious injuries. He was complaining of hip and shoulder pain when taken to the hospital Saturday night.

Larry Jones, the trainer of Irish Exchange, said the silks Saez was wearing had a noticeable hoofprint on the back and that the jockey apparently was stepped on.

Irish Exchange went down in deep stretch of the six-furlong Polytrack race when clipping heels behind Coup, ridden by Ramon Dominguez. Coup finished second but was disqualified to last for swerving inward and impeding Irish Exchange, a 2-year-old filly who was temporarily pinned under the inner rail after falling but was extricated from the situation after quick work by the Kentucky state veterinarian, Dr. Bryce Peckham, and several others, much to the delight of the large ontrack crowd. Irish Exchange did not suffer serious injuries.

Saez, a native of Panama, is best known as the jockey of Eight Belles, the filly who finished second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby before being euthanized because of injuries suffered when galloping out after the race.