Jockey Rosario Injures Rib in Aqueduct Fall

Joel Rosario, North America's leading jockey by earnings this year, will miss action part of this month due to a rib injury suffered Dec. 2 when he was unseated in the second race at Aqueduct Racetrack, according to his agent, Ron Anderson.

Daily Racing Form's David Grening first reported Rosario's injury, noted as a hairline rib fracture.

Rosario rode Irish Constitution  to a seventh-place finish in an optional claiming turf race in which he was unseated but came off just past the wire. The outrider caught the loose horse, who was returned to his barn, but Rosario was banged up and took off his remaining mounts on the card. The 36-year-old rider later found he had some discomfort when breathing, Anderson said, and chose to go to the hospital.

Anderson said a follow-up evaluation should provide a more definitive prognosis on the rib injury and timetable for Rosario's return.

"Those kind of things, usually it's a couple or three weeks, then you have to bite the bullet a little bit because you're in discomfort, anyway," he said, speculating that the Dec. 26 opening of Santa Anita Park could fall in line for the rider to return.

Rosario, frontrunner to win the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey of 2020, had been closing in on a record-setting year for a North American-based jockey. This year his mounts have made $32,944,478, leaving him within range of Irad Ortiz Jr.'s single-season record of $34,109,019 set in 2019. Rosario also was within striking distance of other records related to stakes and graded stakes victories.

This year Rosario was the regular rider of Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go   for trainer Brad Cox. Knicks Go is the probable Horse of the Year after winning the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), among other races.

Rosario also piloted Echo Zulu  to victory in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar for trainer Steve Asmussen, with whom he regularly teamed when riding at Churchill Downs last month. He also rode Jackie's Warrior  to graded stakes victories this year for the trainer.

Thursday's injury will cause Rosario to miss stakes mounts Dec. 4 at Aqueduct. Those previously scheduled rides had included Bella Vita  in the Go For Wand Handicap (G3), Zandon  in the Remsen Stakes (G2), Tap the Faith  in the Demoiselle Stakes (G2), and Olympiad  in the Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

Last month Rosario said he would ride at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas this winter while spending time in Florida and elsewhere.

Rosario traveled extensively in 2021, winning races at Churchill Downs, Belmont Park, Del Mar, Keeneland, Santa Anita, Remington Park, Kentucky Downs, Saratoga Race Course, Woodbine, Monmouth Park, Lone Star Park, Prairie Meadows, Pimlico, and other tracks.