Report: Arrieta is suspended 15 days for causing Colonial spill

Francisco Arrieta reportedly was suspended 15 calendar days by Colonial Downs stewards who said his “extremely careless” ride caused the spill Thursday which hospitalized rival jockey Tyler Conner with a broken neck and nose.

BloodHorse reported the suspension, which was announced Saturday, will start Saturday and through Aug. 16. Arrieta still has nine rides booked at Colonial between Wednesday and Friday.

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Arrieta rode Matador to a first-place finish Thursday in Colonial’s seventh race, a turf sprint for maidens. The victory was overturned by stewards who ruled that Arrieta was at fault for shutting off an advance by Conner’s ride Stanza turning into the homestretch. According to the Equibase race chart, the angling out of Matador caused Stanza to stumble and fall. Matador was disqualified and placed last.

Lying motionless on the track, Conner was flown to nearby VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Va., where he was placed in intensive care to treat fractures to his C1 vertebra and his nose. Stanza, a 3-year-old gelding, was said to have come away with minor injuries. The last four races on Colonial’s Wednesday card were canceled.

Conner was said by his agent Paula Bacon to be regaining the feeling in his legs shortly after being hospitalized. His wife Paula said doctors were optimistic the swelling would recede around the neck injury.

By mid-morning EDT on Sunday, a GoFundMe “rally for Tyler Conner’s long-term road to recovery” raised $52,335 of a $55,000 goal.