(edited press release)
Apprentice rider Kyle Branch, who was thrown from his mount after the last race at Monmouth Park June 9, will undergo surgery today in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, for a fractured left hand.
The jockey's agent, Doug Hatten, said the original estimate was that Branch would be out for six to eight weeks.
“But it might be longer,” Hatten said. “They found another fracture they have to repair, and that could change the estimate. We’ll know more after the surgery.”
Branch finished last of 10 aboard Up On Top in Saturday’s 10th race. The horse bucked while being pulled up, throwing the rider to the ground.
Branch, who claimed a seven-pound apprentice allowance, had a 2-1-2 record in 27 rides at Monmouth through Saturday. He won the first stakes race of his career aboard Indy Wind in the Frisk Me Now Stakes on May 28.
