Jockey Umberto Rispoli, currently tied for third in the Del Mar jockey standings, took off his mounts on the seaside track's biggest day of the year on Saturday due to injuries sustained in a spill during the first race Aug. 31.
Rispoli was aboard Single Track Mind in the one-mile turf race and just behind the leaders when his mount was bumped from the inside at the top of the stretch by Tom and Jazzy, ridden by apprentice Armando Aguilar. Single Track Mind clipped heels and stumbled, throwing Rispoli, who appeared to be stepped on or kicked by a trailing horse. Single Track Mind kept running with his rider and did not appear to be injured when caught by an outrider.
Rispoli was placed on a backboard and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. X-rays and scans showed no broken bones or serious injuries, but the rider had significant scrapes and bruises from the incident that led him to take off mounts on both Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1-2.
Rispoli was named to ride in all 11 races on Del Mar's FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic day card, including Piroli for trainer Michael McCarthy in the Grade 1, $1-million Pacific Classic.
Agent Matt Naktani and Rispoli posted the following note on Twitter late Saturday morning:
“Umberto is at home resting up and taking it day by day. He is still feeling minor effects from his spill on Thursday. Our decision came down to a couple things. His health and safety is of utmost importance. We do not want to risk further injury. Also, Umberto felt it was in the best interest of the owner and trainers to not ride if he doesn't feel 100 percent. While it is an extreme disappointment to miss one of the biggest days of the year in California, our #1 priority right now is to make sure Umberto gets back to full health. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he makes his full recovery.
“With that being said, good luck to all the connections today! Happy Pacific Classic Day! Pray for a fantastic, safe day of racing!”
One day after the incident, stewards issued a 10-day suspension to Aguilar “for altering course without sufficient clearance, causing interference and an accident entering the stretch.” Tom and Jazzy finished second but was disqualified and placed last. The suspension runs 10 racing days: Sept. 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 and 29.
Rispoli, who turned 35 years old on the day of the accident, has won 20 races from 101 mounts during the Del Mar summer, including three graded stakes. Juan Hernandez sits atop the jockey standings with 30 wins from 128 mounts. Rispoli had just returned from Japan where he participated in a jockey competition.
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