Neck, Back Fractures to Sideline Jockey Feargal Lynch for Four Weeks
Neck, Back Fractures to Sideline Jockey Feargal Lynch for Four Weeks
Jockey Luis Garcia Returns to Winner’s Circle for First Time Since 2018
LAUREL, MD – Jockey Feargal Lynch is expected to miss the remainder of the summer meet after follow-up tests revealed fractures in his neck and back from a July 23 spill at Laurel Park.
Lynch, 42, ranked among the leading riders at the summer stand with 12 wins and $392,398 in purse earnings. The meet is scheduled to run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 22.
“We were hoping that I would be back sooner and it wouldn’t be long, because the initial X-rays showed there was nothing broken,” Lynch said Friday, his fourth full card since being hurt. “When the CT scan and MRI scan came back … it was worse than we thought.”
Lynch said he suffered a condylar fracture in his neck and a wedge compression fracture in his back. Fitted with a neck and back brace, he said early estimations were that he’d miss four weeks.
“It’s just a matter of resting and taking painkillers,” he said. “I’ve just got to get through this the next few weeks, see the specialist and get back as soon as possible.”
Lynch is scheduled to visit a specialist next week. He credited Laurel Park’s on-site medical team, led by Dr. Kelly Ryan of MedStar Health, for their assistance.
“They do a fabulous job,” Lynch said. “They go above and beyond, even with the aftercare.”
Lynch was unseated during the third race July 23 when his mount, Epitomize, clipped heels and fell leaving the backstretch of the 1 1/8-mile allowance for 3-year-olds and up. Horse and rider were sent to the ground, and both eventually walked off the track. Lynch was treated at first aid before going to the hospital for X-rays.
“The horse in front pulled out in front of me and my horse lost his balance and went down very quick,” Lynch said. “He didn’t have a chance to get out of the way.”
A two-time meet-leading rider at Pimlico Race Course, Lynch owns 525 career North American victories and nearly $19 million in purses earned, according to Equibase statistics. He is the younger brother of Laurel-based trainer Cal Lynch and a former champion apprentice in England who rode Caribou Club to a record-setting victory in the Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G3) last fall at Laurel, setting the Dahlia turf course mark of 1:33.35 for one mile. Lynch was also the regular rider of retired millionaire Irish War Cry during his undefeated 2-year-old season that included a win in the Marylander, now Heft, Stakes.
Jockey Luis Garcia Returns to Winner’s Circle for First Time Since 2018
Luis Garcia, a one-time leading rider in Maryland, guided Proud Stable Inc’s Blue Sky Venezuela to a come-from-behind neck triumph over pacesetting favorite Susikin in Friday’s third race at Laurel Park – the 38-year-old journeyman’s first win in nearly two years.
Blue Sky Venezuela ($9.60), trained by Bruno Tessore, covered six furlongs in 1:12.14 over a sloppy and sealed main track in the third-level claimer for fillies and mares 3 and up. It was the second win in five starts this year for the 4-year-old daughter of Sky Mesa.
“It’s nice to be back,” Garcia said. “I just let the speed go, stayed in the clear and went from there.”
Garcia, a native of Puerto Rico, had not won a race since Oct. 2, 2018 with Princetonian at Presque Isle Downs. His last victory in Maryland came aboard Southern Barbecue April 2, 2018 at Laurel Park.
“I was going through a lot of stuff, family problems, which weighed on my mind, but I’m back now,” Garcia said. “I have to thank God for giving me good health and for all the people that have been helping me.”
Garcia works in the morning for trainer Mike Trombetta, who splits his Maryland string between Laurel and the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. Blue Sky Venezuela was just Garcia’s 10th mount of the year. He now owns 1,588 career wins including the 2014 Royal North (G3) with Ageless and 2011 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) with Watch Me Go.
In Maryland, Garcia was the leading rider at Laurel Park’s 2007 summer meet as well as the 2007 spring meet at Pimlico Race Course. He did not ride at all in 2019, launching his comeback March 15 at Laurel. Live racing was put on pause for 2 ½ months amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Garcia was back when it resumed May 30.
“I’m not going to push myself or rush myself. I just want to get back in the game and do what I can do,” Garcia said. “I’m just working hard from 4 o’clock in the morning to 7 o’clock at night every day. If some mount comes about, I’m available. If anybody needs me, I’m here. Let’s see if we can get to 1,600.”
Notes: Three jockeys each registered two wins on Friday – Horacio Karamanos with Absalom ($3.20) in Race 2 and Successful Zip ($4.80) in Race 4, Angel Cruz on Queen of Tomorrow ($18.20) in Race 1 and Pardon the Pun ($6.60) in Race 6, and Julian Pimentel aboard Beacon of Truth ($16) in Race 3 and Artful Splatter ($2.80) in Race 5 … The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot grew to $5,384.14 after going unsolved Friday, when multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $98.52. The Rainbow 6 begins in Race 4 Saturday, which has a first-race post time of 12:40 p.m.
