Garrett Gomez update
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from the Pasadena Star-News:
ARCADIA - Eclipse Award-winning rider Garrett Gomez most likely will have to put that assault on Jerry Bailey's single-season record for North American earnings on hold.
Gomez escaped serious injury Saturday at Santa Anita when his mount in the $78,070 Eddie Logan Stakes, pacesetter Back At You, inexplicably ducked into the rail at the top of the stretch in the one-mile grass race for 2-year-olds and tossed the 36-year-old jockey hard to the turf.
Gomez was taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for X-rays, and the Eddie Truman-trained Back At You was vanned off with no apparent injuries.
According to agent Ron Anderson, Gomez had a swollen left hand, a gash to his left knee and lost about three front teeth because of the impact of the fall.
Anderson said Gomez was released from the hospital at about 6:30 p.m., but the quest for Bailey's record probably will have to wait at least a year.
"He's pretty jarred up, and I don't anticipate him doing much for a few days," Anderson said. "But the bottom line is he's OK."
Gomez, assured of his fourth consecutive national money title, is just $109,014 shy of Bailey's record earnings mark of $23,354,960, established in 2003 when Anderson was his agent.
Anderson went to work for Gomez after Bailey retired in January 2006.
ARCADIA - Eclipse Award-winning rider Garrett Gomez most likely will have to put that assault on Jerry Bailey's single-season record for North American earnings on hold.
Gomez escaped serious injury Saturday at Santa Anita when his mount in the $78,070 Eddie Logan Stakes, pacesetter Back At You, inexplicably ducked into the rail at the top of the stretch in the one-mile grass race for 2-year-olds and tossed the 36-year-old jockey hard to the turf.
Gomez was taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for X-rays, and the Eddie Truman-trained Back At You was vanned off with no apparent injuries.
According to agent Ron Anderson, Gomez had a swollen left hand, a gash to his left knee and lost about three front teeth because of the impact of the fall.
Anderson said Gomez was released from the hospital at about 6:30 p.m., but the quest for Bailey's record probably will have to wait at least a year.
"He's pretty jarred up, and I don't anticipate him doing much for a few days," Anderson said. "But the bottom line is he's OK."
Gomez, assured of his fourth consecutive national money title, is just $109,014 shy of Bailey's record earnings mark of $23,354,960, established in 2003 when Anderson was his agent.
Anderson went to work for Gomez after Bailey retired in January 2006.
Comments
Jockey Garrett Gomez is expected to return to riding Dec. 29 following a nasty fall on the turf course at Santa Anita Park two days earlier.
Gomez, en route to his third consecutive national money title, lost several upper front teeth, suffered a gash on his left knee that didn't require sutures, and a swollen left hand after the 2-year-old colt Back At You veered in during the stretch run of the Eddie Logan Stakes Dec. 27. Back At You hit the rail, unseating Gomez.
Gomez was removed from the track by stretcher and taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where he was released last night after being treated.
“Garrett told me not to turn anything (potential mounts) loose,” agent Ron Anderson said on the morning of Dec. 28. “I feel very optimistic.”
Gomez, who turns 37 on New Year’s Day, was excused from his seven mounts, but remained on his five scheduled mounts for Dec. 29. Anderson was confident Gomez could honor those assignments.
“There’s better than a good chance he could ride tomorrow,” Anderson said. “Amazing as it seems, there was even a small chance he could have ridden today. He’s tougher than I don’t-know-what.”
Through Saturday, Gomez was $109,014 short of Jerry Bailey’s 2003 record of $23,354,960 for purse earnings in one year.
“In the realm of everything,” Anderson said, “at this point, who cares (about the record)? I think we dodged a bullet and I feel very fortunate that Garrett’s going to be OK.”