Prat hospitalized with injuries after spill

Jockey Flavien Prat sustained five fractured vertebrae and a punctured lung in a spill Thursday at Los Alamitos, according to his agent, Derek Lawson.

Lawson said Prat has movement in his extremities and was resting comfortably under sedation in the intensive care unit at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center on Friday morning.

Prat had a chest tube inserted and underwent a CAT scan on Thursday, and doctors have scheduled an MRI for him on Friday. Lawson said that Prat fractured the T-4 through T-8 vertebrae.

Jockey Santiago Gonzalez also was involved in the spill and escaped serious injury.

According to his agent, Craig Stephen, X-rays on a sore ankle were negative, though the ankle was swollen and Gonzalez was unable to put much pressure on it. Stephen said Gonzalez was “body sore” on Friday, and was scheduled for a second examination of his ankle later in the day.

Gonzalez is off his mounts at Los Alamitos Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The spill occurred in the sixth race on Thursday, a five-furlong maiden special weight. Prat’s mount, Discreetlyhumorme, was between horses on the backstretch when he stumbled and fell. Lucky Snow, with Gonzalez aboard, tripped over the fallen horse and also fell. Both horses were walked off the track and apparently sustained no serious injuries.