Quinones Injured in June 2 Spill at Mountaineer Park

Luis M. Quinones, this year's recipient of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, is believed to have broken his pelvis in a third race spill at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort June 2, according to his agent, Billy Johnson.

The jockey, who initially was examined at nearby East Liverpool City Hospital, was transferred overnight to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he will undergo more diagnostic tests.

"He was in pretty good spirits last night," Johnson said. "He does have a broken pelvis, it would appear. There could be damage to the ankle, also. We'll know a lot more today about what exactly is going to happen, what we need to do to get him back on the right path."

Quinones was aboard favored Shared Silence, a 5-year-old Hat Trick mare trained by Claudie Marshall Godsey Jr. and owned by L. A. Racing, in a $15,000 claiming race at five furlongs on the main track when she suffered a catastrophic injury in early stretch when racing near the pace along the inside. Horse and rider then tumbled to the track, and Devilish Magic, immediately behind under Jordano Tunon, was unable to avoid the fallen horse, falling and sending Tunon head over heels.

Shortly after the incident, Devilish Magic regained her feet and ran off down the stretch, and Tunon also arose and rushed over to attend to Quinones and Shared Silence, who had remained on the track.

Tunon "actually got Quinones out of the way of the horse that broke down," Johnson said. "That horse was thrashing and very well could have flipped over and landed on him. We owe him a lot of gratitude."

Tunon rode later Tuesday night.

Regularly among the top jockeys in Ohio and West Virginia, Quinones was the second-leading rider by races won in 2019, trailing only Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. A married father of three daughters, he had won the second race at Mountaineer Tuesday evening aboard Shacklefords Storm, one of 1,920 winners for the jockey.

According to Johnson, Quinones initially had back pain and difficulty moving his legs but regained feeling in the 20 minutes from the incident to his arrival at the hospital.

"Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, his wife and kids were here when it happened," Johnson said. "So they kind of got to see it firsthand, and I'm always here. So I went and spent almost 3 1/2 hours at the hospital with them, trying to keep them together and stay positive. They were actually better than I was. I was more of a wreck then they were."

Johnson said he has been touched by the outpouring of well-wishes they have received.

"The trainer's son came to the hospital and was with us for a couple hours last night. That was a really class move that he made," he said.