Jockey Paco Lopez undergoes surgery, to miss at least a month

Jockey Paco Lopez will have surgery to repair a thumb injured in a spill Saturday at Gulfstream Park and will be out for four to six weeks.

Lopez's agent, Corey Moran, said that after being unseated by Fluent in Sarcasm shortly after the break in the ninth race, the jockey underwent X-rays at a hospital that returned negative. The original expectation was for Lopez to return on Thursday.

But as it turns out, Lopez has a fracture on the base of his thumb, Moran said.

"Paco went to his own doctor, took more X-rays and they saw it," Moran said Tuesday.

Surgery is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET in Miami, Moran said.

"They think he'll be out four to six weeks," Moran said. "Paco usually comes back," he added with a laugh.

"To get the surgery now is going to be the best thing for that type of injury. We're just fortunate to have a doctor who's willing to do the surgery under these circumstances," Moran said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lopez has won on 79 of his 430 mounts this year, with graded scores in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) aboard Swiss Skydiver, the The Very One (G3) on Elizabeth Way, the Challenger Stakes (G3) on Trophy Chaser, the Royal Delta (G3) on Cookie Dough and the Kitten's Joy (G3) on Island Commish.

Also on Saturday, jockey Jose Leon was thrown from from his mount, Blue Solo, during the ninth race finale at Tampa Bay Downs. Tampa Bay Downs updated through its Twitter account that Leon dislocated two fingers and pulled ligaments in his leg. He hopes to be ready to ride in seven weeks.