The hits just keep coming. It seems the racing world can’t even stop for a minute to celebrate what was a positive opening day of racing at Del Mar on Wednesday without tragedy striking again.
On Thursday morning, about 6:40, a horrific head-on collision during morning training hours at Del Mar resulted in the death of two unraced horses and what luckily turned out to be only minor injuries to jockey Assael Espinoza.
Espinoza’s agent, Brian Beach, is a veteran of the sport and says he’s never seen anything like the year horse racing has experienced in 2019.
“Never, not as far as horse racing taking all these punches to the gut,” he said. “It’s just been unbelievable.It’s just all kinds of like a flood of bad news on a daily basis.”
First, 30 horses die during Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet, and now two more fatalities as the result of a freakish accident, which was first reported by the Daily Racing Form.
It involved three horses, two trained by Bob Baffert and one by John Sadler, that were working in company from the starting gate and approaching the 6-furlong pole when a horse trained by Carla Gaines threw its rider, Geovanni Franco, and began running the wrong way.
The loose horse, a 2-year-old colt named Charge a Bunch, collided head on with Baffert’s Carson Valley, ridden by Espinoza and working in the middle of the three horses. Charge a Bunch and Carson Valley died from the impact of the collision.
Espinoza, nephew of Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza, was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, complaining of lower back pain. Beach, who also represents Victor Espinoza, said doctors took a CT scan that showed no broken bones.
Franco did not require medical attention.
“I didn’t see it (accident), but everybody that did said it was pretty horrific,” Beach said. “We got lucky with Asa. He’s just bruised and sore. He landed on his tailbone, so his tailbone was sore in his lower back area.
“He’s going to be stiff and sore, so we’re just going to take it day by day.”
Beach said he expects Espinoza to return to riding no later than this weekend.
The injury scare comes eerily close to the one-year anniversary of Victor Espinoza’s training accident at Del Mar when a horse he was aboard for a workout collapsed and died of a heart attack July 22, tossing the 47-year-old to the ground and resulting in a broken neck. After many months of intense rehabilitation, he returned to riding at Santa Anita on Feb. 18.
Beach said Victor Espinoza was also working a horse on the track during Thursday’s accident.
“So he narrowly escaped being in the accident himself,” Beach said.
Gaines issued a statement via her Twitter account: “This morning Gaines Racing had a very unfortunate and freak training accident at Del Mar, the likes of which I have not experienced in over 30 years training race horses. We are so thankful to report that Asa Espinoza and Geovanni Franco have no major injuries. Our whole barn is still in shock and grieving the loss of the horses, and my heart goes out to both of their owners, Bob and his team. We appreciate all those that continue to support us and our industry.”
Said Baffert in a statement to Del Mar publicity: “This was a very unfortunate accident and is a shock to everyone in the barn. We work every day to take the best care of our horses but sometimes freak accidents occur that are beyond anyone’s control. This is one of those times and we’re deeply saddened for all involved.”
Hollendorfer update
San Diego Superior Court Judge Ronald F. Frazier delayed a decision Thursday morning on trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have allowed him to stable and train horses at Del Mar.
Hollendorfer’s suit against Del Mar and the 22nd District Agricultural Association, on whose land the track sits, includes him and the California Thoroughbred Trainers as plaintiffs.
“The judge said he was going to deny it today,” said Hollendorfer’s lawyer, Drew Couto. “He said the only reason he was denying it was that he hadn’t had enough time to review everything and didn’t want to make a hasty decision.
“He wants us back on July 26 at 11:30 a.m. and go over it at that time.”
Couto said the judge “said it was a very substantive matter and he wants to get it right.”
Hollendorfer was informed by Del Mar earlier this month he would not be allowed at the seaside track after The Stronach Group banned him from any of their five tracks June 23. The New York Racing Association, after initially welcoming Hollendorfer to any of its tracks, reversed course and said in a statement June 29 he would not be allowed to race or stable in the state.
Couto said his client seems to be holding up well during the ordeal.
“As anyone might imagine, it takes a toll,” he said. “But Jerry’s a tough guy. He hasn’t said to me, ‘Oh, I’m feeling bad,’ or anything, but I just suspect that it takes a toll.”
Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73
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