Tony Black hopes to ride again following surgery for broken arm

Veteran jockey Tony Black was injured in a Saturday morning spill at Parx Racing and is scheduled to have surgery for a broken right arm Monday, he said Saturday evening.

Black, 62, was thrown from his mount at a time a horse was loose on the track. He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital.

"I was working a horse this morning and there was a loose horse on the track," Black said. "The alert signals went off and I went to raise up and the right webbing on my saddle broke and I fell."

Black, a winner of 5,208 races, rides only occasionally nowadays but likes to keep active. He is 3 for 16 this year.

Black said that while he was at the hospital he saw several doctors who had previously operated on him when he had been injured. He realizes his riding days are coming to an end but may make one brief comeback before retiring for good.

"I would hate to go out this way, falling and breaking my arm," Black said. "But a light bulb went off with this injury and I think it is time to leave the riding to the younger guys. What I would like to do is come back and ride two more winners, which would give me 5,210, a nice even number."