Jockey Frankie Pennington Heads to Surgery After Spill

Jockey Frankie Pennington will head into surgery Nov. 26 at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville one day after he fell from his mount, Diamond King, as the field entered the first turn of the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, according to trainer Robert "Butch" Reid Jr.

"We're sitting up here with Frankie this morning and he's doing just fine," Reid said. "He'll head into surgery in a little while to repair a small issue but is doing fine overall."

The current leading rider at Parx Racing, Pennington and Diamond King raced between Gotta Go and Givemeaminit into the first turn and appeared to clip heels with those rivals, causing Pennington to be dropped. Diamond King was corralled shortly after the race by Churchill Downs' outriders.

After his fall he was complaining of pain in his groin and had a superficial cut on his face.

Pennington, who began race riding in 2003, has 2,180 wins from 12,160 starters in his career, with more than $58.7 million in purse earnings. He has 133 wins from 721 starts in 2017, with more than $4.8 million in purse earnings.