Injured Jockey Luzzi Cleared to Resume Riding
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Though he has been cleared by doctors to resume riding, New York-based veteran journeyman Mike Luzzi said he has not set a timetable to return to the saddle.
Luzzi, honored earlier this year with the annual George Woolf Award that recognizes riders whose careers and personal character have earned esteem for both the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing, has not ridden since suffering a broken leg and pelvis in a paddock accident at Aqueduct Racetrack in November.
"I feel great," said Luzzi, who underwent reconstructive surgery. "I'm in no big rush but I'm ready. I've been breezing horses; I've been out of the gate. It feels like nothing ever happened, but it has been a long haul.
"I was bed-ridden for four months. I didn't think I'd be able to ride again. Pretty much as soon as I was out of bed—maybe a couple weeks—I got the itch back and I've been working on it ever since."
Luzzi has been busy over the last few months, balancing his own preparations in the saddle with those of his 18-year-old son Lane, an aspiring rider.
"In the meantime, my son's learning to be a jockey, so I've been keeping my eye on him, too," Luzzi said. "So I'm also doing that; it's kind of double duty."
Luzzi has won 3,420 races and his mounts have earned more than $108 million in a career that began in 1988.