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Jock Julian Pimentel injured, to miss significant time

by | Jul 5, 2017 | Breaking, Maryland, MD Racing, Racing

Jocks Xavier Perez, Julian Pimentel, and Victor Carrasco watch the races at Pimlico.

From a Maryland Jockey Club release

Journeyman jockey Julian Pimentel will miss the rest of Laurel Park’s summer meet and at least the early part of its fall stand with back and knee injuries suffered in a spill during training hours July 1.

Agent Roniel Gerardo said Pimentel, 36, fractured the T-12 vertebrae in his back and tore the meniscus and broke the kneecap in his left knee when the horse he was exercising fell past the second wire and landed on him. The horse was unhurt, Gerardo said.

Pimentel was transported to the hospital where he was diagnosed and placed in a brace on both his back and his knee. Garcia said he is scheduled to visit a specialist July 11 to further assess the injury.

“Right now he’s in a brace. He can barely move,” Gerardo said. “The doctor in the hospital said as long as he doesn’t move and stays straight with the brace on his back, the vertebrae should heal. In another six weeks they’re going to do an MRI again and if it’s not healing right then they have to do surgery and insert steel rods in his back.

“The brace on his knee goes from his thigh all the way down so he cannot move the knee, and the brace on his back is around his lower waist so he cannot bend over,” he added. “It could have been worse. He could have been paralyzed or something. He was unconscious. He went down and the horse hit him and went on top of him. Thank God he was wearing a vest.”

Pimentel, a native of Colombia, has won more than 1,500 races in North America. He ranks sixth in purses ($239,634) and eighth in wins (eight) at Laurel’s current summer meet which began June 9 and ends Aug. 20. The 60-day fall meet is set to open Sept. 8.

“We’ll know more after the doctor’s appointment,” Garcia said. “I’d say hopefully in about 12 weeks or so we’ll be back in the saddle. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

LAUREL PARK NOTES  Multiple stakes winner Rose Brier has been retired, trainer Jane Cibelli said. The Virginia-bred Mizzen Mast gelding, now eight years old, won 14 of 40 career starts and earned $527,116.  He finished second or third in three graded stakes and most recently was second as the favorite in the Edward P. Evans Stakes at Laurel. “He’s got a great personality,” Cibelli said. “We’ll certainly miss him…”