Foot Injury Knocks Badilla Out of Action at Los Alamitos

CYPRESS — Los Alamitos Race Course will be dark tonight, but when racing resumes Friday, jockey Joe Badilla Jr. won’t be riding.

Badilla is expected to be out at least three weeks after cracking a bone in his right foot and breaking several toes when his mount brushed against the rail during a training ride in Tucson last Friday.

Badilla was leading all jockeys at Los Alamitos in victories at the time of the accident.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Badilla’s agent, Dennis Christensen, “but it’s still early in the meet and we have a lot of big races coming up and he should be back by then.”

Also expected to sit out the weekend is jockey Adolpho Rodriguez, who was thrown from his mount, Mousetrap, as it crossed the finish line in Sunday’s ninth race. Rodriquez was treated at a local hospital after complaining of neck pains.

About a half-dozen key riders have suffered injuries this season.

“For this early in the year, we’ve had an unusual number of very weird injuries,” track spokesman John Petti said.

General Manager Dick Feinberg said the track had requested permission from state racing officials to cancel tonight’s racing some time ago, but just recently got the OK. No other changes in the Thursday through Sunday schedule are planned, he said.

The Pick Six carry-over on Friday will be $45,388.64. Highlighting the weekend will be trials for the Vessels Maturity and Governor’s Cup Futurity races.