Thursday evening's live program at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, was cancelled after jockeys expressed concern over whether they can get timely medical care in the event of an accident.
The decision not to ride stems from a July 4 accident involving jockey Carlos Montalvo, who suffered head injuries in a fourth race spill when he fell after his mount, Bling's Bellwether, clipped heels at the eighth pole of the five-furlong main track race.
Montalvo claims he was unable to find a medical specialist who was willing to honor the $1-million accident policy purchased by Lone Star's parent company, Global Gaming. Terry Meyocks, national manager of the Jockeys' Guild, said his understanding was that some of the specialists and surgeons wanted to be paid “up front” rather than wait for insurance claims to go through. Ten days later, Montalvo still has not had the surgery he said he needs.
The accident policy, underwritten by Chubb and purchased through John Unick's Insurance Office of America, is similar to what most other U.S. tracks have. Unick said the problem with access to specialists is peculiar to Texas.
Jockeys pressed track officials for assurances they would not experience similar delays in the event of an accident, but Meyocks said despite efforts from all parties involved, those assurances could not be given. “The riders were not satisfied that they could see a specialist if they were involved in an accident,” Meyocks said.
Unick said he is confident the impasse can be resolved quickly. The Lone Star Park meet ends on July 24.
The post Concern By Jockeys Over Access To Medical Specialists Leads To Lone Star Park Cancellation appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
