He Was Back in the Saddle Again; However, It Wasn’t His Saddle
Never mind changing horses in midstream. Jockey Andrew Payne changed horses in the middle of a race.
The 17-year-old apprentice was aboard Hon Kwok Star, a 12-1 shot, when the gates opened, but he finished the race riding Cogitate, which went off at 33-1.
Jockey Jason Patton, Payne’s brother-in-law, was thrown from Cogitate when the two horses slammed together on the final turn in Thursday’s Christmas Handicap.
As Patton crashed to the turf, Hon Kwok Star tossed Payne sideways toward the now vacant saddle of Cogitate.
“My hands landed on the other saddle and I just pulled myself up,” Payne said.
“When I looked up and saw where I was, I couldn’t believe it.”
Payne said he had a good laugh as he rode Cogitate toward the finish line, but out of the money.
Patton was all right except for a sore ankle.
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