Exercise Rider Buckley Critical

Parker Buckley, a former jockey who was working as an exercise rider for trainer Steve Asmussen, is in critical condition following an Aug. 18 accident at Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Buckley, 40, was galloping a Thoroughbred trained by Asmussen when he was thrown from the horse and hit the left side of his head. Immediate medical care was delayed slightly due to a wait for the ambulance, which had been on the main track side.

Following an on-track examination, the rider was transported to Saratoga Hospital, where a CT scan revealed blood on the brain. Buckley was then flown to Albany Medical Center around 8:00 a.m., where he began to lose movement on his right side. Following another CT scan performed around 12:30 p.m., he took a turn for the worse and had to be revived, Asmussen told the Daily Racing Form.

Buckley had ridden at Finger Lakes but was not active as a jockey this year. He has worked for Asmussen for about 16 months, the trainer said.