Stevens Hurt in 5-Horse Spill : Hollywood Park: Nation’s top money-winning jockey suffers broken elbow after mount goes down. He will be sidelined three to four weeks.

Gary Stevens broke his right elbow and four other jockeys escaped serious injury in a horrifying five-horse spill during the first race Wednesday at Hollywood Park.

The nation’s top money-winning rider in 1990, Stevens is expected to be out of racing for three to four weeks, according to Dr. Robert Kerlan. Stevens was thrown when his mount, Rotation Speed, broke down while battling for the lead on the far turn.

This caused a chain reaction because most of the 11 other 3-year-old fillies in the $16,000 claiming race at six furlongs were behind Stevens. Akrotiri, ridden by James Corral, tripped over the fallen Rotation Speed; and, Corey Nakatani on Zone Of Danger; Armando Bellido on Madame Lil, and Kent Desormeaux on Davy’s Squaw, also went down.

Davy’s Squaw was actually the first to brush Rotation Speed while swerving to avoid the accident, and Desormeaux was able to stay on his mount for a stride or two.

There were early reports that Stevens had broken his arms and several ribs, but initial X-rays proved negative. Hours later, the broken elbow was discovered. Dr. Greg Adamson, who treated Stevens, said it was a minor fracture. Stevens also suffered bruises on his buttocks.

Aiming for his first Eclipse Award, Stevens, 27, began Wednesday’s program with $12,713,913 in purses, giving him an $809,631 lead over runner-up Jose Santos. Stevens had won with six of 31 starters in the Hollywood Park meeting.

This wasn’t the first time Stevens had been injured near the end of the year.

In November, 1987, he broke an ankle in a starting gate accident at Santa Anita, forcing him to miss the Breeders’ Cup a week later at Hollywood Park. He was sidelined 11 weeks in late 1985 after suffering a broken shoulder and a knee injury in a morning workout spill at Santa Anita. Last year, he broke his right wrist at Del Mar.

Desormeaux returned to ride the rest of his mounts, and Bellido was cleared to come back but had no other mounts.

X-rays of Nakatani and Corral at Centinela Hospital Medical Center proved negative, but both jockeys suffered mild concussions. Nakatani also strained his left hip, and Corral had various bumps and bruises.

Trained by Steve Young, Rotation Speed hadn’t started since finishing third in a $32,000 claiming race on Sept. 28 at Fairplex Park and had been scratched from a $25,000 claimer on Oct. 17 at Santa Anita. The Tri Jet filly suffered multiple breaks of the cannon bone in her right foreleg and was destroyed on the track. Rotation Speed had been examined by veterinarian Ray Baran Wednesday morning. None of the other horses were injured.

The spill was the second of note in the meeting. Last Thursday, Laffit Pincay broke his collarbone in a post-race accident.