Baffert Assistant Barnes Injured, To Have Surgery

Jimmy Barnes and Arrogate | Christie DeBernardis

Jimmy Barnes, an assistant to Bob Baffert of almost 19 years and a constant travel companion to celebrated Thoroughbreds such as American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), suffered a fractured pelvis in a training mishap Sunday at Santa Anita. Barnes was unseated from his stable pony during training hours.

“It was very scary,” Baffert said Monday morning. “We won't know more until they put him back together after surgery today or tomorrow at Huntington Memorial Hospital. There was a lot of internal bleeding, but as of this morning he was stable–which is good–and he wasn't in too much pain.

The Baffert stable had no choice but to resume their normal routine Monday morning, with North America's all-time richest Thoroughbred Arrogate drilling a half-mile at Santa Anita in :49.60 over the main track. Also on the worktab were GI Awesome Again S. hopeful Cupid (Tapit) and GI Pennsylvania Derby entrant West Coast (Flatter), who worked four furlongs in company in :47.40. MGSW American Anthem (Bodemeister) worked a bullet half-mile in :47.20, while GI Cotillion S. entrant Abel Tasman (Quality Road) stopped the clock in :48 flat.

 

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