'Lucky to come back,' Espinoza works first horse since injury
Jockey Victor Espinoza on Saturday morning received a leg up on a horse for the first time since a July 22 fall at Del Mar that left the jockey wondering if he’d ever walk again, let alone ride.
The Hall of Famer breezed John Sadler-trained St. Joe Bay through a bullet five furlongs in a minute flat at Santa Anita Park, where afterward he told XBTV’s Zoe Cadman that he’s “a little bit fitter than I thought.”
Espinoza described therapy as a full-time job as he recovered from a fracture of his C-3 vertabra. The fall aboard Bobby Abu Dhabi, a graded stakes winner who collapsed while working through the Del Mar stretch, also left Espinoza with numbness in his extremities.
“I’m just lucky enough to come back — to basically be normal again,” Espinoza told Cadman.
As horses begin their march to race day with steady breezes, so too will Espinoza. He said he’d like to work more than one next week, stressing that “I just want to go slow” in making a return.
“It depends on the weather and his scheduled therapy sessions,” said agent Brian Beach. “Monday will probably be a big work day here if it rains Sunday as expected. Victor has to be back home at Del Mar, so he may not be back here to work another horse until next weekend.
“It’s exciting to see him out here,” Beach added. “He’s pretty much been in San Diego and Del Mar ever since the accident in July. He hasn’t been at Santa Anita until yesterday, so it’s good to have him out here in familiar territory.
“It’s satisfying to see him on the back of a horse with that usual smile on his face.”
The 46-year-old, of course, gained immense fame recently as the regular rider aboard dual classic winner California Chrome and Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. At the time of his injury, Espinoza also held the mount on Accelerate, the Horse of the Year finalist who hasn’t lost since.
St. Joe Bay, Espinoza’s work horse Saturday, is a 7-year-old gelding who has won six of 34 starts, including back to back graded stakes in the 2016 Midnight Lute (G3) and 2017 Palos Verdes (G2) at Santa Anita.
No matter which horse he’s on, Espinoza said after all he has been through, “I appreciate life on my daily basis.”