Simington likely will miss rest of Delta Downs meet

Jockey Don Simington said he probably will miss the remainder of the Delta Downs meet as he continues to recover from severe injuries sustained in an Oct. 29 spill. Delta has just begun its Thoroughbred meet that extends into March.

Simington’s mount was on the lead in a claiming sprint when she broke down and he was thrown, as were three other riders in a chain-reaction incident. Simington, 52, suffered the most significant injuries and remained at an Alexandria, La., hospital on Wednesday.

Simington said he broke his pelvis, shoulder blade, and seven ribs. He also broke his right arm, which required surgery. Simington is wearing a back brace and was up walking for the first time since the spill Tuesday.

“They found issues in my back, and we’re thinking some of it’s old, but some could be new,” Simington said. “There’s two compressed [vertebrae], one with a crack that could be old or new. None of it requires surgery. They wanted me to be in a back brace.”

Simington is hopeful that he might be released by the end of the week but said a number of doctors would have to be in agreement for him to be discharged.

The injuries are among the worst Simington has suffered since winning the first race of his career on Jan. 21, 1984, at Sunland Park. The rider missed six months in 2011 when he punctured a lung, ruptured his spleen, and broke eight ribs. He came back to contend for the title at Louisiana Downs.

“I would imagine I’ll miss the remainder of Delta,” Simington said. “I’m just taking it day by day. Some minutes, I feel okay. Other minutes, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”

Simington has won 3,427 races from 27,100 Thoroughbred starts, for career mount earnings of $47,623,640. He has won stakes with such horses as Remington Rock, Scott’s Soundrel, Cinemine, Midge Too, Watchem Smokey, and Thegirlinthatsong.