Riders, horses mostly unscathed after scary spill at Parx
Four horses and their riders were involved in a scary incident at Parx Racing on Monday, in which a loose horse unseated her rider out of the gate and later caused a spill that unseated three more riders. Only one of the four jockeys involved has reported injuries, while all four horses walked off.
The incident occurred in the 10th and final race on the card. It was caused by Spirited Ride, who's rained by Miguel Rodriguez. The 5-year-old mare stumbled out of the gate in the $5,000 claiming race, unseating jockey Anthony Salgado and running loose to rejoin the field.
Several sources said Salgado suffered a bruised rib that may be broken, among other minor ailments. He is the only jockey in the race who reported an injury and is expected to miss at least a few weeks.
Bolting wide, Spirited Ride made her way to the front of the field around the far turn before suddenly moving in toward the rail, impeding Fast Motion, a 5-year-old mare trained by Jimmy Nicholson Jr. Apprentice jockey Bryan L. Torres, who was aboard Fast Motion, did not yield to the loose runner in time and was violently flung from the saddle when his mare clipped heels and fell sideways across the track. She fell right in the path of Sweet Mischief and Five Star Fran, both mares trained by Ilias Tapsas.
Sweet Mischief unseated jockey Andy Hernandez but managed to keep her feet and run on, while Five Star Fran stumbled badly and fell headfirst, unseating jockey Luis Ocasio.
The three fallen riders and two fallen horses all remained in view for some time during the broadcast. Ocasio and Hernandez both rose to their feet immediately. Ocasio managed to get up in time to rein in Five Star Fran, who quickly rose as well. Hernandez could be seen walking toward the rail to check on Torres. The apprentice had quickly rolled off the track to avoid Fast Motion, who was up and walking toward the chute.
Trainer Hugo Padilla said Hernandez will not miss any time and is prepared to ride at Parx on Tuesday. Ocasio’s agent said he came out of the spill “in good order,” while Torres’s agent said he did not sustain any serious injuries.
Spirited Ride and Sweet Mischief both ran loose past the wire. After a stewards’ inquiry, the race was declared a no-contest.
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