Veteran jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who was thrown to the turf following the start of the Sweet Life Stakes Jan. 22, appeared to be uninjured following a post-race examination, but was forced to take off of his nine mounts Jan. 23 as a result of the mishap.
According to his agent, Tom Knust, Valenzuela hopes to be able to ride when Santa Anita resumes action Jan. 27, but will rest the next couple days and will seek additional medical attention if necessary.
“He was probably 50/50 to ride today but he just didn’t want to push it,” Knust said.
Valenzuela's mount in the hillside grass event, She'll Heir, broke in at the start and bumped with the eventual winner Bloemer Girl, dislodging Valenzuela.
“He went down and hit pretty hard," Knust said. "Yesterday when he left First Aid, he hadn’t injured anything and didn’t hurt his neck or his ribs. He just felt sore. This morning when he woke up he was going to try to come out and ride but his body was too sore. He just didn’t think his body would give 100% so he’s just going to take it easy the next couple days and we’ll be back Thursday. If he feels he needs to see the doctor, he will.”
Valenzuela, 48, is currently third in the Santa Anita jockey standings, with 19 winners, including two stakes victories, through 19 days of racing.