Parker collects five wins on first night back from injury
Deshawn Parker let everyone at Mountaineer know he was back in the saddle Tuesday night, winning with five of his seven mounts. Parker was returning from a 2 1/2-week absence, and the timing couldn’t have been better for Parker’s longtime agent, Billy Johnson, who is hospitalized after being involved in an automobile accident.
Parker injured a foot in a gate mishap Sept. 25 at Mountaineer. He has won 196 races at the meet through Tuesday and leads the rider standings by 42. In May, Parker won the 5,000th race of his career.
Johnson is in Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh with a badly dislocated ankle, according to track officials. He is expected to be sent to rehab when he is able. A GoFundMe page has been started to help Johnson with his medical expenses.