Valenzuela, sore following spill, takes day off at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif.- Jockey Patrick Valenzuela took off his mounts on Sunday, complaining of body soreness from a spill on Saturday.

Valenzuela was unseated when She’ll Heir clipped heels at the start of the Sweet Life Stakes on the hillside turf course. Valenzuela rode under his own power, but did not ride the last race.

Sunday, his agent, Tom Knust, said Valenzuela was sore and would take the day off. He intends to resume riding on Thursday, the next day of live racing. Valenzuela was booked to ride all nine races on Sunday.

The setback comes at a difficult time for Valenzuela. Through Saturday, Valenzuela was third in the standings with 19 wins, nine behind leader Rafael Bejarano. Valenzuela, 48, is the senior member of the Southern California jockey roster.