Apprentice Rider Ramgeet Out Indefinitely
Description:
Apprentice jockey Andre Ramgeet suffered multiple injuries and will be sidelined indefinitely after being unseated when his mount Gator Jack stumbled badly in the fourth race Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Gator Jack was in tight traffic when she bumped with a rival leaving the backstretch in the $5,000 claiming race at six furlongs. The 3-year-old filly propped and nearly fell, dislodging Ramgeet, the leading apprentice at Fair Grounds this season.
Ramgeet was struck by multiple horses after the fall and taken to the hospital via ambulance. He is now at University Hospital in New Orleans.
"He has a broken clavicle in two spots and a skull fracture on the side of his head," reported agent Rick Mocklin the morning after the accident. "He is alert, conscious, and very aware. It'll be a slow healing process and there's no time frame yet.
"They just moved him into a room as of 8:30 this morning and they've stabilized the bleeding. He's his normal, bubbly, and cheerful self, believe it or not."
Ramgeet is currently ranked seventh in both wins with 10 and purse earnings of $228,550 at the current Fair Grounds meet.
He is the son of three-time Jamaican champion jockey Andrew Ramgeet, who rides regularly at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, and is a cousin of multiple grade I-winning rider Rajiv Maragh.
Gator Jack was walked off the track following the race.