Two Laurel jockeys sidelined 4 to 6 months

Maryland-based jockeys Sheldon Russell and Oliver Castillo will each be sidelined four to six months as the result of injuries sustained in separate spills last Saturday at Laurel Park.

Russell, a 20-year-old apprentice who was tied for sixth at the meet with 21 winners from 90 mounts, fractured two vertebrae in his back when his mount, Positive Note, broke down on the backstretch of the fifth race and landed on him. Russell missed four months with a similar injury sustained last October.

Castillo, 31, underwent elbow surgery to repair damage done one race later when his mount, Fourthirteen, tossed him near the finish line.

Castillo has won nearly 900 races since coming to the United States from Chile in 1997.