Leparoux Expected to Resume Riding Midweek

Jockey Julien Leparoux was back in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the morning after he fell at the start of the July 13 Indiana Derby (G3) at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino and is expected to resume race riding at Saratoga Race Course after the track's dark days July 15-16.

Leparoux was aboard Eskenforit in the Indiana Derby and broke from post 7. The 3-year-old gelding stumbled to his nose, lost Leparoux, and continued to run with the other horses. Eskenforit crossed the finish line on the outside of the race winner, Mr. Money, before he was caught.

Leparoux, whose boot was ripped in the incident, was taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for X-rays with pain in his right leg. He was scheduled to ride at Saratoga Sunday but took off his mounts.

"Julien's fine. He went back and got new X-rays again today when he got back up here to Saratoga," Leparoux's agent, Steve Bass, said. "Everything's negative, no fractures, just swollen really bad, and he's got a really nasty cut on his shin bone."

Bass added the cut looked deep on Leparoux's right leg, but it did not require stitches. Leparoux was told to stay off the leg for a couple of days and ice it. The agent said he was taking entries for Leparoux Sunday.

"It's a good-sized cut. It's painful, but there's no fracture, nothing," Bass said. "They said it should go down in a couple days. He should be back riding probably the middle of the week, either Wednesday or Thursday."