Santana, Osorio recovering from injuries sustained in spill
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockeys Ricardo Santana Jr. and Didiel Osorio were both home resting on Friday, one day after being injured in a spill in the second race at Oaklawn Park. Both were transported to a local hospital after the heel-clipping accident and were released later Thursday.
Santana, who had a one-win lead in the standings through Thursday, separated his shoulder and was scheduled to see a specialist, according to his agent, Ruben Munoz.
“Nothing is broken,” Munoz said Friday. “These things can be tricky, [missing] a week or a month. We’ll know more when he gets an MRI. He seems comfortable, not in a lot of pain.”
Munoz said Santana was in good spirits Friday.
“I feel at the end of the day, we’re very fortunate to only have” a shoulder injury, said Munoz.
Osorio will miss the remainder of the Oaklawn meet after sustaining a back injury, but plans are for the rider to return to the saddle at Churchill Downs, his agent, Jose Santos Jr., said on Friday.
Santos said Osorio, 22, has been diagnosed with hairline fractures in his T5 and T7 vertebrae and will miss six to eight weeks. Oaklawn closes on April 15. Santos said he has scheduled an appointment with a specialist for Osorio on Monday.
“We’re going to get a follow-up on that,” Santos said of the initial diagnosis.
Santos said Osorio has movement in his extremities and has promised to come back “better than ever.”
Santos said the rider also was grateful for all the concern and well wishes from his fellow jockeys as well as trainers, some of whom came to the hospital Thursday.
Osorio is a native of Panama City.