Jockey Garrett Gomez was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital in
Arcadia, California, for X-rays on Saturday after being thrown from his mount
Back at You (Stormy Atlantic) in the $78,070
Eddie
Logan S. at Santa Anita. Gomez, who will turn 37 on Thursday, currently
ranks as the nation’s leading rider by purse money won for the third straight
year.
Back at You was traveling well on the lead, with Gomez rationing out his
speed through splits of :23 4/5, :47 2/5 and 1:12 on the good turf.
Straightening out at the top of the stretch, the juvenile suddenly veered to his
left, crashed into the rail, and unseated Gomez.
According to agent Ron Anderson, Gomez was conscious and able to move when he
was taken to the hospital, but lost several front teeth due to the impact of the
fall.
“Garrett lost a few front, upper teeth and he also has a swollen left hand
and a gash to his left knee,” Anderson said.
Anderson did not know if Gomez would be required to stay overnight for
observation, but noted that his overall condition appeared to improve after his
arrival at the hospital.
“He was pretty shook up when he first got here, but as they were preparing
him to be X-rayed, he really calmed down and he seemed to be getting stronger,”
his agent noted.
After Back at You’s mishap, Dennis O’Neill’s FLASHMANS PAPERS (GB) (Exceed
and Excel), who had been tracking in second throughout, inherited the lead.
Kelly Leak (Runaway Groom), the 8-5 favorite, mounted a late rally, but the
determined Flashmans Papers held him at bay by a half-length. Trained by Doug
O’Neill and piloted by Rafael Bejarano, the winner completed the grassy mile in
1:36 3/5. The bay colt began his career with John Best in England, where he
stunned the Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot at odds of 100-1. Eighth to his
stablemate Square Eddie (Smart Strike) in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) in his
U.S. debut, Flashmans Papers made his first start for O’Neill a winning one in a
turf allowance/optional claimer at Hollywood on December 4. He now brandishes a
line of 11-3-0-2, $150,180.
Entering the Eddie Logan, the 7TH race, Gomez was just $109,014 shy of Jerry
Bailey’s all-time earnings mark of $23,354,960, established in 2003. Anderson
was also Bailey’s agent at that time and went to work for Gomez after Bailey
retired in January of 2006.
Gomez is tentatively scheduled to ride five horses on Sunday at Santa Anita,
including PROUDINSKY (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]) in the $150,000 San Gabriel H. (G2).