Multiple Grade 1 winner Jackson Bend was involved in a mishap Saturday
morning on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course, but appears to
have sustained no serious injuries.
“Jackson (Bend) and (exercise rider) Carlos (Correa) were going on their
normal morning gallop, and another horse came on at the gap and ran right into
him,” said Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who added that Correa was uninjured
in the collision. “I didn’t see it. Thank God I didn’t see it.
“He was laying on the track for close to five minutes — he was just in
shock. He went back to the barn in the ambulance, and we started giving him
fluids right away. All the vital signs were fine. It’s a miracle.”
After being taken back to the barn, Jackson Bend, a five-year-old son of Hear
No Evil who has earned more than $1.6 million, was examined by Dr. Joe
Migliacci.
“When I got to the barn, Jackson Bend was standing in the ambulance, and we
backed him out slowly,” Migliacci said. “There were no signs of lameness, but he
was very quiet. That was alarming as he is usually a very active, aggressive
horse.
“On examination, I couldn’t tell which side he was hit on, which is a good
sign. He was hit on the right side. He then walked the shedrow, and while he did
it slowly, he was walking fine. I found no fractured ribs or damage to his
shoulder area, but his heart rate was up. I think he got the air knocked out of
him. My main concern was that he might have a lung contusion or trauma to his
lungs from the blow, but we wouldn’t be able to find that out for a while.
“I went back to the barn shortly after the initial examination, and he was
hollering for food and acting normal,” Migliacci added. “He took eight liters of
fluids that have electrolytes, which is the same way you would treat a person in
shock. Within 15 minutes of delivering the fluid his eyes got brighter, his
heart rate came down, and he seemed to do fine. Listening to him, he sounded
nice and clear. I think he’s a tough guy.
“My general opinion is that he is going to do well. We will continue to
monitor him for the next number of days.”
Jackson Bend has been pointing to a title defense of the Grade 1 Forego on
September 1, but those plans may have to be altered.
“Let’s see what happens the next couple of days,” Zito said. “The main thing
is we need to get him back to normal. He is an amazing, amazing, amazing horse,
and this proves how amazing he is.”
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