Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen's GSW and GISP sprinter Bobby Abu Dhabi (Macho Uno–Wadena, by Saint Ballado) died of a sudden cardiac event during training Sunday morning at Del Mar, falling abruptly and throwing jockey Victor Espinoza to the track. Espinoza was taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital with a fracture of the C-3 vertebra in his neck after his mount suffered an apparent heart attack and died at approximately 9:05 a.m. Sunday.
“It is with great sadness that I can confirm this morning we lost our boy, Bobby Abu Dhabi, to a sudden cardiac arrest on the track,” tweeted Rockingham Ranch's Brian Trump. “While we are deeply saddened and heartbroken by this loss, our thoughts are currently with [Hall of Fame] jockey Victor Espinoza.”
Espinoza, 46, was motionless for several minutes before being fitted with a neck brace and being taken to an ambulance on a stretcher. His agent, Brian Beach, reported from the hospital that Espinoza experienced shoulder pain and numbness which was later diagnosed as a “stinger” to his left shoulder and arm.
“He has regained about 50% of the feeling already,” Beach said Sunday afternoon. “Doctors are optimistic he'll fully recover fairly quickly. It's the kind of thing that football players get all the time.”
Bobby Abu Dhabi, who was in training for the GI Bing Crosby S. next Saturday, posted a record of 4-2-1 from nine career starts and amassed earnings of $375,100. He hit his best stride in 2018, placing second in the GI Triple Bend S. in March prior to capturing the GII Kona Gold S. at Santa Anita Apr. 21. His last race came in Belmont's GII True North S. June 8, pressing the pace and holding on to finish third.
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