Santa Anita: Pedroza fractures leg when horse steps on him

Jockey Martin Pedroza faces an indefinite absence after sustaining a fractured left leg when he was unseated from Sargentina after the start of Friday’s eighth race for maiden claimers at Santa Anita.

Pedroza remained hospitalized on Saturday morning and had considerable swelling, according to his agent, Richie Silverstein. Pedroza fractured a shin when he was unseated.

“It was a straight break around the shin area,” Silverstein wrote in a text on Saturday morning.

Silverstein said Pedroza will not need surgery, but that it was “hard to say” how long the rider would be sidelined. “In three or four days, they will take the splint off and put a cast on,” Silverstein said. “Then it will be however long it takes.”

Sargentina refused at the start of the race over 5 1/2 furlongs. The mare eventually left the gate, but Pedroza was unseated about 100 yards from the start. Pedroza was injured when he was stepped on by Sargentina, according to Silverstein.

After a stewards’ inquiry, Sargentina was declared a starter. She made her career debut on Friday.

Pedroza, 48, has ridden 6 winners from 58 mounts at this meeting. He was tied for 12th in the standings through Friday. In recent months, his top mount has been Blueskiesnrainbows, a 5-year-old he rode to wins in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Hollywood Park on Dec. 14 and the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes here on Jan. 11.

Pedroza was scheduled to ride Blueskiesnrainbows in the $300,000 San Antonio Stakes on Saturday. The mount was scheduled to go to leading rider Rafael Bejarano.