Oaklawn leading rider David Cabrera likely will miss the remainder of the 2021-2022 meeting after sustaining upper back, neck and head injuries from a spill in Friday's first race, his agent Joe Santos said.
Santos said Cabrera has compressed C5 and C6 vertebrae, crushed cheekbones and suffered a concussion in the accident, which occurred in the upper stretch after his mount Mostly Awesome (Fusaichi Pegasus) clipped heels when in tight and fell, throwing the jockey to the ground. A trailing horse jumped the fallen Mostly Awesome near the three-sixteenths pole, unseating apprentice jockey Chel-c Bailey. Both horses involved in the accident were captured without incident and with no initial signs of distress. Bailey wasn't seriously injured and fulfilled her remaining engagements on the card. Cabrera was unconscious for approximately 20 minutes post-fall.
“It's really kind of dependent on the cognitive aspect of it, when he kind of grasps everything mentally,” Santos said. “He's a lot more active today and it's mainly just from the concussion. There's just some confusion there.”
Cabrera was the runaway leader in the Oaklawn rider standings with 62 victories through Friday, Day 53 of the scheduled 66-day meeting. Francisco Arrieta was second with 49 victories, two more than Santana, an eight-time Oaklawn riding champion.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
