Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day is scheduled to undergo hip surgery on March 30
and could miss the May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1) for the first time since 1984. He
is suffering from a labral tear in his right hip, which is the source of
discomfort that’s plagued him since last July. Dr. Mark J. Philippon will
perform the surgery at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colorado.
“It was last July when I first noticed the little catch,” Day said. “I didn’t
see it as being anything serious and I can’t pinpoint any specific incident that
caused it. I just woke up one morning and it was there, so I was a little
nonchalant — and a little negligent probably — in getting it looked at.”
The labrum is the cartilage lining the socket in which the hipbone sits, and
provides cushion and stability to the joint. The surgery and recovery time could
keep Day out of competition for several weeks, but he hopes to be back for the
first Saturday in May.
“The window they gave me was anywhere from four weeks to 12 weeks,” he said.
“Obviously, if they get in there and discover something of significance, it’s
going to take longer. We’re going to prepare for the worst and hope for the
best, and believe that it will land somewhere in the middle.”
Day holds the record for the longest string of consecutive Derby rides with
21. He’s had a mount in the Run for the Roses every year since 1984 and won in
1992 aboard Lil E. Tee.
“I would say that it’s a very outside chance (of making it back in time
for the Derby),” he said. “I’ve seen stranger
things happen, but I’m not going to press it to get back.”
The hip was examined in October and no major problems were revealed by an
X-ray and MRI. Day continued to ride throughout the fall and the discomfort
became worse, prompting the jockey to go back for a second examination. After
he took part in a program of therapy and exercise, the pain lessened but came
back in February. Another MRI finally exposed the real damage.
“If I hadn’t waited so long, it probably would have been more easily
diagnosed in December and it would be behind right now,” said the 51-year-old
rider, who is the all-time leading rider at Churchill Downs and the fourth
leading rider in U.S. racing history. “Now we’re going to address that and I
fully expect a complete recovery. We’ll be back — maybe not as good as new, but
pretty close.
“This isn’t a swan song.”