Pedroza, Teasing Bernie Dodge Bullet

The Cat with Nine Lives has nothing on Martin Pedroza. For seemingly the umpteenth time in his career of more than 30 years, the 46-year-old jockey escaped with not even his pride hurt after a ninth-race spill yesterday.

Pedroza, aboard Teasing Bernie, was closing in outside of leader Mon Couer in deep stretch when Mon Couer drifted out and bumped Teasing Bernie, knocking him off-stride. This caused Teasing Bernie to clip heels and hurtle face-first to the dirt while unseating Pedroza in full view of an aghast grandstand crowd at Santa Anita.

Miraculously, both horse and rider came out of the incident none the worse for wear, although Mon Couer was disqualified by the stewards from first and placed ninth.

“I think the inside horse came over slightly,” Pedroza explained to HRTV’s Zoe Cadman. “I should have gone to the left, but I thought I was going to get by Mon Couer. He came out just enough that I clipped his heels.”

Asked how he keeps bouncing back from such mishaps, Pedroza said: “First of all, the good Lord watches over me. Everybody asks me the same question. I do my prayers and I leave it in God’s hands.

“Other than that, it’s me being fit. When you’re fit, your body can take the little beating that we take here and there.”

Pedroza was back working horses as usual Sunday morning.