Horse Racing / Bill Christine : Shoemaker’s Injury Might Keep Him Out Until Oak Tree Meet

Bill Shoemaker, who was thrown by a horse owned by Elizabeth Taylor in a race at Del Mar July 26, suffered a fractured vertebra in his lower back and probably will miss the rest of the season at the seaside track.

Shoemaker, who will be 54 on Aug. 19, will be sidelined for at least three weeks. Since Del Mar’s season ends Sept. 11, it is possible that Shoemaker will not be riding again until the opening of the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita on Oct. 2. The only racing in the area after Del Mar closes will be Sept. 12-29 at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, where Shoemaker usually does not compete.

Shoemaker, who during a 37-year career has won more races (8,482), more stakes races (928) and more purses (almost $102 million) than any other jockey, went down in Del Mar’s third race July 26 when his mount, Basic Image, clipped the heels of another horse shortly after leaving the gate.

X-rays were negative, but the soreness persisted and Shoemaker said that he could not resume riding after he galloped a horse the morning of July 31. Shoemaker underwent further tests at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla on Tuesday, when the fracture was discovered.

Shoemaker discounted the possibility that this injury might lead him to consider retirement. “Absolutely not,” he said Wednesday.

“I guess if something like this is going to happen, the best place for it to happen is at Del Mar,” Shoemaker said. “I can’t play golf, but at least I’ve got the beach.”

Shoemaker finished 13th nationally last year in purses with a total of $4.3 million. He was among the top 10 jockeys in purses earlier this year, but wasn’t listed in the Daily Racing Form’s most recent standings. Shoemaker’s purses totaled $2.7 million through July 14.

Basic Image, a 3-year-old colt bred by Marje Everett of Hollywood Park, has raced the last two times in Taylor’s name. With Shoemaker aboard, Basic Image finished second in a race at Hollywood Park July 10. Although Basic Image went down in the Del Mar race, he was not seriously hurt.

Shoemaker said that Taylor had called him to ask about his condition. “I told her that it wasn’t the horse’s fault,” Shoemaker said.

Terry Lipham, another jockey who was injured at Del Mar a week after Shoemaker’s accident, has been released from the hospital, but still has double vision and will be examined again on Friday.

Lipham suffered a fractured skull, a ruptured ear drum and a cut ear. His mount, Pride of Troy, ran into a horse that broke both front legs in a race last Friday. Pride of Troy recovered but the other horse, B. Easy, had to be destroyed.

Angel Cordero Jr. is one jockey who is fully recovered from a painful injury. Cordero has returned to his old riding form after missing almost two months of action with a thumb injury early in the year.

Cordero easily led the recently completed Belmont Park meeting in wins and he has jumped off to a quick start at Saratoga, where he’s been the No. 1 rider for nine straight years.

Cordero, 42, is fifth in the national purse standings with a total of $4.6 million, even though he’s had fewer than 600 mounts, about 300 fewer than Laffit Pincay, who’s on top with $8.3 million.

Cordero might be leading if he hadn’t opened the way for Pincay to ride Spend a Buck in the Jersey Derby at Garden State Park.

Cordero gave up the mount on Spend a Buck for a non-winning ride aboard Track Barron in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park the same day. Theoretically, that switch amounted to a $2.6 million swing in the purse standings--the amount Spend a Buck earned, counting a $2 million bonus, for taking the Jersey Derby.

Despite Cordero’s talents, however, it’s questionable whether any jockey but Pincay could have gotten Spend a Buck to the wire first that day. The Kentucky Derby winner fought off an early challenge, was passed by Creme Fraiche at the top of the stretch and then was brought back by Pincay to win.

Despite his domination at Saratoga, Cordero has never won the Travers Stakes, the most important race at the upstate New York track.

Cordero, 0 for 13 in the Travers, may break the streak Aug. 17 when he rides Chief’s Crown in the stake. Chief’s Crown, third in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and second in the Preakness after having been favored in all three Triple Crown races, was a disqualified winner last Saturday at Saratoga.

Cordero will have to beat Pincay’s mount, Stephan’s Odyssey, in the Travers.

Stephan’s Odyssey should be the Travers favorite after his win in the Jim Dandy Stakes last Sunday at Saratoga.

Racing Notes More on jockeys: Pat Day, who decided to finish the season at Saratoga when the Arlington Park grandstand burned on July 31, has failed to win with his first 26 mounts in New York. Ray Sibille had a cyst removed from under an eyelid recently and is out for the rest of the Del Mar season. Chris McCarron will ride Fran’s Valentine Saturday in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga and Dahar Sunday in the Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar. Gary Stevens will go to Monmouth Park Saturday to ride Hilco Scamper, the undefeated 2-year-old gelding, in the Sapling Stakes, then will return to Del Mar to ride Tsunami Slew in the Read. Other probable starters in the Read include Both Ends Burning, Al Mamoon, Drumalis, Fatih and Aras An Uachtarain. Trainers of several of those horses have aspirations to run in the Budweiser Million Aug. 25. . . . Although Lady’s Secret upset Mom’s Command in the Test Stakes at Saratoga last Thursday, Gene Klein’s 3-year-old filly is basically a sprinter and isn’t expected to run in the 1-mile Alabama on Saturday.