A Year of Bad Times for Jockey: Valenzuela Hurt in Serious Spill

Pat Valenzuela, whose body has been in a cast twice this year, suffered a serious riding injury at Santa Anita Wednesday, when a horse unseated him shortly after the start of the third race and he was run over by another horse.

Dr. Jan Holwick, who treated Valenzuela at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, said that Valenzuela, 26, suffered broken cheek bones and a concussion. Valenzuela, who was listed in fair condition in the hospital’s intensive-care unit, may need to undergo facial surgery.

Valenzuela broke a leg in a starting-gate accident at Hawthorne in suburban Chicago earlier this year and required a walking cast. He returned to action only last Saturday, after suffering a broken hand during a fight with Gary Stevens in the jockeys’ room at Hollywood Park Dec. 2.

Wednesday, in a 6-furlong race for 2-year-olds, Valenzuela hit the ground after his mount, Distant Power, swerved to the left just a few steps out of the gate.

Valenzuela fell to his right, and Black Jack Attack, even though he started on the inside of Distant Power, stepped on the fallen rider. Black Jack Attack, favored in the race, finished fourth.

Valenzuela was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was reported to be alert and coherent.

Earlier this year, Valenzuela was suspended by stewards at Santa Anita for not honoring mounts and declining to take a drug test. Valenzuela has admitted to undergoing rehabilitation for drug and alcohol use in recent years, and he tested positive for cocaine last spring at New Mexico.

Despite his problems, Valenzuela has been an effective rider when he has been available. This fall, he was the leading jockey during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita, riding 44 winners in 27 days and winning 6 races Oct. 21.

In about 750 mounts this year, Valenzuela has ridden winners 21% of the time, one of the highest percentages in the country. Daily Racing Form statistics show that his mounts have earned more than $3.4 million in 1988.

Agotaras won Wednesday’s $80,000 Pasadena in stakes-record time at Santa Anita, with her stablemate, Love and Affection, giving trainer Wayne Lukas the first two finishers in the race.

Agotaras, who may be the first stakes winner sired by Saratoga Six, ran 6 furlongs in 1:08 2/5 to break by a fifth of a second the stakes record set by Susan’s Girl in 1972.

Laffit Pincay, who turns 42 today, rode Agotaras to a 4 1/2-length victory, with Hot Novel finishing third, another 1 1/2 lengths back. Fantastic Look, the favorite, ran fourth in the 6-horse field of 2-year-old fillies. Wonders Delight, a third starter from the Lukas barn, ran fifth.

Agotaras, whose name is Saratoga spelled backward, was coupled with Wonders Delight in the betting and paid $6.80 to win.