Leparoux sidelined; Borel takes off mounts

Leparoux will spend the next two weeks recuperating from a spill (EquiSport Photos)

It appears the spill that jockey Julien Leparoux took last Friday in Pimlico’s
Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2) was more serious than initially believed.

“He has a compression fracture of the T-8 in the middle of his back,” said Steve
Bass, Leparoux’s agent. “He had an MRI done Tuesday and that’s when the fracture
was discovered. He will be out a week and a half to two weeks.”

Currently the second-leading rider at the Churchill Downs meet with 13 victories, Leparoux was
hurt Friday when his mount in the Black-Eyed Susan, Diva Delite (Repent), clipped heels
approaching the far turn and threw Leparoux. The rider honored all of his
commitments
Saturday at Pimlico and Sunday at Churchill Downs, where he rode two winners.

“Julien was still sore when he got back here and when we went to the doctor he
didn’t think it was anything major,” Bass said. “I told him it was something
that needed
to be tended to before it turned out to be something that could affect him long
term.

“It is the first time he has been hurt and I hope it is the last.”