Zayas taking time off to fix injured shoulder
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Probably the most surprising news of the past weekend came late Sunday afternoon when agent Tito Fuentes revealed that his jockey Edgard Zayas had just ridden his last mount until the spring and would undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair his injured left shoulder Monday morning.
Zayas has certainly showed no signs of any issues throughout the 2021 season, having won 225 races, including 11 since the Championship meet opened earlier this month. He is second in the Gulfstream jockey standings, just one win behind Paco Lopez.
The spring/summer and fall meet riding champion locally, Zayas had little trouble competing against the best jockey colony in the country here last winter, posting 74 winners, good for fifth in the standings. His victories during that meet included the Grade 2 Davona Dale with Wholebodemeister and the Grade 3 Swale with Drain the Clock.
“He’s been bothered by this for a while and it’s time to get it fixed,” said Fuentes. “We’re looking at late March or early April for his return.”
Fuentes said Zayas first injured his shoulder in a riding mishap here several years ago, then had it pop out on him again while riding Sugar Fix to a second-place finish in a starter-allowance event here on July 18. The chart of the race read, “Rider in distress down the lane.”
“He was able to pop the shoulder back in after the race and continue riding, but the pain has been constant ever since,” Fuentes explained.
Zayas said he had been struggling with the issue since that incident.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but nonetheless the correct one,” Zayas tweeted on Monday morning. “It’s something I need to fix for the future of my career. I thank my agent for the unconditioned support and all the trainers and owners for their understanding.”
Before You tries Florida-breds
Florida-bred fillies and mares will be in the spotlight in Thursday’s $54,000 ninth race, a six-furlong dash over the main track.
Before You, who will face statebred competition for the first time in her local debut, may prove the one to catch for trainer Bill Mott. The 3-year-old daughter of First Commission has spent the majority of the year on the New York circuit where she posted back-to-back one-sided victories last summer at Saratoga.
The local contingent includes American of Course, who ran off three consecutive victories by a combined margin of 18 1/4 lengths earlier in the year, two locally and one at Tampa Bay Downs. The Jacks or Better Farm homebred has been idle since finishing third after setting a contested pace under similar allowance conditions as Thursday’s headliner here on Aug. 28. She shows only one workout, on the farm in Ocala, since that outing.
Liza Star, a 13-time winner, will return to statebred competition for the first time in over a year and is also among the logical contenders along with Dem a Wonder, Freak, and To a T.