Jockey Abel Cedillo fractured a bone in his neck July 23 early in the fourth race at Del Mar but will not need surgery, he told the Daily Racing Form.
Cedillo told DRF July 24 that he is hospitalized but will not need surgery. However, the jockey faces four to six weeks of physical therapy.
According to the Equibase chart, Cedillo fell after his mount, Get the Gold , was bumped hard soon after the start by Silver N Black , causing Get the Gold to pinball with rivals and clip heels and throw Cedillo. Get the Gold was walked off. Silver N Black had initially finished fourth but was disqualified because of the contact with Get the Gold.
There was a separate incident late in the race that saw first-to-the-wire Dont Fight the Fed placed second after the stewards determined he drifted in and bumped second-place Cowboy Mike past the eighth pole. Cowboy Mike was placed first in the $84,000 maiden special weight race contested at one mile on the dirt.
Cedillo has two wins and two third-place finishes from 15 starts at the current Del Mar meeting, good for $77,220 in purse earnings. He won the second race Sunday, a claiming event, aboard Colonel Vargo . A native of Guatemala, Cedillo has competed in Southern California since 2019. He boasts 25 graded stakes wins, including five at the grade 1 level.
