Van Berg recovering from successful throat surgery

Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg is recovering from successful throat surgery on Friday in Little Rock, Ark.

“Jack had successful throat surgery and is recovering at a hospital in Little Rock,” said Chris Kotulak, spokesman for Van Berg and author of the biography “Jack, From Grit To Glory.” “He is scheduled to be released (Sunday). I spoke with Jack earlier and he sounds better but his speech is still slurred at times due to his surgery. He’ll be back at the barn soon and wanted to let everyone know assistant trainer Sammy Almarez is taking good care of the horses. Sammy was the groom for 1984 Preakness Stakes winner Gate Dancer and worked for Jack since the early 1980s.”

Van Berg, 81, returned to training at Churchill Downs in late 2015 and had a full string of horses on the grounds beginning in the Spring Meet of 2016. The Nebraska native recorded five victories so far in 2017 at Churchill Downs.