By T. D. Thornton
Jockey Martin Garcia appears to have escaped serious injury after being hospitalized Wednesday morning in the wake of a training accident at Santa Anita Park.
Garcia's agent, Thom Mitchell, told the TDN via phone at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time that “he landed really hard, but I think in the big picture he'll be fine. But they're going to keep him overnight at Huntington Hospital for observation.”
Details of the accident were unclear. According to California Horse Racing Board safety steward Luis Jauregui, the 33-year-old jockey is believed to have lost a stirrup in the vicinity of the half-mile pole while working a horse, causing him to crash to the dirt of the main track.
Mitchell confirmed that the horse was a Ron McAnally trainee. He did not know the Thoroughbred's name, but said it was his belief that “the horse is fine.”
The Blood-Horse first broke the story, reporting that Garcia had lost consciousness for a while prior to being placed onto a back board by paramedics.
Mitchell told the TDN that “when I got to him, when they were going to transport him from the ambulance at the track to take him to the hospital, he was conscious.”
At the hospital, Mitchell said Garcia “wasn't [complaining of discomfort] when he talked to me, but [medical personnel] were treating him and everything, so I didn't get to talk to him a whole lot. But he was fine when he was talking.”
Garcia has won 26 races from 214 mounts so far this year. He is named to ride two horses on Friday's opening-day card at Santa Anita.
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