Eibar Coa Makes Gulfstream Appearance

Injured jockey Eibar Coa returned to the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle on closing day April 24 and  presented Paco Lopez with a trophy to commemorate his second straight riding title.

It was an emotional and exciting return for Coa, who broke his C-4 vertebra in a racing spill on Feb. 18. Diagnosed by doctors as a quadriplegic after being admitted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Coa made a recovery that was deemed “miraculous” by neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Berta. The 40-year-old veteran rider, who was released from the hospital on April 14, was able to walk into the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation as well as receive a check of $25,000 from a benefit golf tournament.