Mena Sidelined Indefinitely After Fair Grounds Spill

Jockey Miguel Mena, the leading rider at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, will be out indefinitely after sustaining a compound fracture of his right ankle and a broken heel as a result of a three-horse spill during the track's eighth race March 15, his agent, Richie Price, confirmed Friday.

Mena, who entered Thursday's card with a meet-leading 55 victories, was aboard A Fashion Affair when she fell as part of a chain reaction that began when the 4-year-old filly Ellashoo, with veteran Kerwin Clark aboard, broke down nearing the five-sixteenths pole. Ellashoo was euthanized as a result of her injuries. Clark underwent surgery for a broken jaw and also had a collapsed lung and broken ribs, according to Fair Grounds' publicity team.

Queen Bernardina, with jockey Gabriel Saez in the irons, also went down in the incident, but both escaped injury. A Fashion Affair was walked off the track, according to the Equibase chart.

Mena was slated to ride Calumet Farm's homebred Bravazo in the March 24 Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, having piloted the D. Wayne Lukas trainee to victory in the Feb. 17 Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford (G2). Price said no timetable has been set on how long Mena will be sidelined, but added he expects him to be out "for a while."

"He's home right now, but he's got a broken ankle," Price said. "He'll know more next week when he goes to see a specialist. They have to wait for the swelling to go down (to evaluate whether it needs surgery)."