Saez likely out four weeks after spill

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When a rider goes down in a spill and does not immediately spring back up, worry creeps into the hearts of those watching as they wait, hoping for a signal that the jockey has avoided a major injury.

In this short period of time, minutes can seem like hours, as they did Thursday at Churchill Downs after Sebastian Saez and Sophie Doyle were unseated in a spill during the fifth race. Both lay on the main track for at least five minutes before being transported to nearby Norton Audubon Hospital.

Although both ultimately were determined to have only minor injuries – Saez broke his collarbone, while Doyle had bruising and soreness – it was a worrisome wait, particularly for Julio Espinoza, Saez’s agent.

Espinoza knows about the dangers of the profession, and not just from his days as a jockey himself. He was the agent for Juan Saez, an older brother of Sebastian Saez, when that rider tragically died last October from injuries after a fall at Indiana Grand, just outside of Indianapolis.

When Sebastian Saez went down Thursday at Churchill, the circumstances were eerily similar. The younger Saez fell in much the same way his brother did, with his mount clipping heels in tight quarters, though in early stretch, unlike the tragedy at Indiana Grand, which came on the turn.

For Espinoza – a close friend of the Saez family, which also includes elite New York rider Luis Saez – the wait to see if Sebastian Saez was all right was agonizing.

“I can hardly take that anymore,” Espinoza said Friday.

Fortunately, this injury will heal in relatively short time. Espinoza said Saez likely will be away from riding for four weeks. Since Saez intends to ride at the Oaklawn Park meet that begins in January, December will prove an opportune time to get well.

Doyle, meanwhile, is expected to return to riding at Churchill once she recovers from her soreness, perhaps as early as this coming weekend.

At some point in the near future, Saez must meet with stewards to view the race and discuss what he could have done differently to prevent his mount, Magnum Force, from clipping heels, which led to his horse falling and also brought down the trailing Doyle on her horse, Gladhander.