Cauthen Lucky in Bad Spill : Rider Has Concussion After He’s Crushed by 2 Horses in England

Jockey Steve Cauthen was conscious but suffering from a concussion after being crushed by two horses in a dramatic accident Friday at Greenwood Racecourse.

Doctors said the 28-year-old rider from Walton, Ky., was knocked unconscious by the two horses when he was thrown to the ground as his mount, the filly Preziosa, fell. The horse was in the path of 13 other horses in the Country Club Hotels Handicap.

Cauthen was carried off the course on a stretcher, but shortly after arriving at St. Richard’s Hospital, he regained consciousness.

A hospital spokesman said an examination revealed no broken bones and that Cauthen would be kept overnight for observation. He described the jockey’s condition as satisfactory.

Cauthen, who rode Affirmed to the Triple Crown in 1978, was under Preziosa when the horse rolled over and then brought down the pursuing horse, Cuva, whose jockey had no time to avoid the accident. Cuva also tumbled over Cauthen, who was face down on the turf when medical help arrived.

It was the fourth time Cauthen had fallen at Greenwood.

Race stewards interviewed four other jockeys involved in the race--Pat Eddery, Michael Roberts, Paul Cook and Michael Hills--and after watching a video replay of the race, they found no one was to blame.

Under the rules of the Jockey Club, Cauthen is unable to ride again for at least seven days.