Ruidoso Downs: Quarter Horse riding legend Jacky Martin badly injured in spill

Jockey Jacky Martin, who was to ride fastest-qualifier Ochoa in Monday’s Grade 1, $2.4 million All American Futurity for Quarter Horses, sustained neck injuries in a race-riding accident at Ruidoso Downs on Friday. He was airlifted from Lincoln County Medical Center in New Mexico to University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.

Martin, 56, sustained three neck fractures but reportedly is not paralyzed, according to a Ruidoso spokesman. As of Saturday morning, he was in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center, where further evaluations on his condition were to be made.

Martin was injured when he was thrown from his mount, Phire Power, who fell after the wire in the sixth race. Phire Power had finished fourth in the $6,500 maiden claiming sprint for Quarter Horses. Aside from Ochoa, Martin had been named to ride Prospect to the Top in the Grade 1, $1.3 million All American Derby for Quarter Horses on Sunday. The rich races close out the meet at Ruidoso.

Martin is one of Quarter Horse racing’s most successful jockeys. A seven-time winner of the All American Futurity, he has compiled a career record of nearly 3,000 wins and $46 million in mount earnings since he began riding in 1972.