For the second time in 18 months, jockey Adam Beschizza has been suspended for careless riding for an incident that left a fellow rider hospitalized with serious injuries.
Stewards at the Fair Grounds in Louisiana handed Beschizza a suspension spanning 15 calendar days, running from Jan. 30-Feb. 13, inclusive, for careless riding while aboard Confederate Yell in the ninth race on Jan. 24 at the New Orleans track.
Confederate Yell was disqualified from second and placed sixth, according to the ruling posted at the Association of Racing Commissioners International website.
Jockey Jack Gilligan was hospitalized with a broken collarbone and facial injuries, including fractures to his eye sockets and a broken nose. According to Equibase chart footnotes, Gilligan’s mount, Miss You Jo, fell after clipping heels of Band Boss – who checked sharply upon being bumped by Confederate Yell approaching the far turn of the one-mile dirt race.
Two horses ran into the fallen Miss You Jo, Jacobs Flyer and Ohmymy Ohmyyes. Shaun Bridgmohan was thrown from Jacobs Flyer, who fell after striking Miss You Jo. Ohmymy Ohmyyes struck one of the fallen horses and was eased out of the race by jockey Mitchell Murrill. One of those horses may have grazed Gilligan’s face with their feet, causing the facial injuries.
Miss You Jo and Jacobs Flyer were vanned off. Their condition is not known.
Bridgmohan was off his mounts Jan. 25-26 and 30, reportedly from muscle soreness or a muscle pull. Gilligan will require surgery and wires attached to his jaw and, according to his father, Patrick, who wrote about the accident at ThoroughbredRacing.com, will not be able to eat solid food for six weeks. It isn’t clear when he will return to riding.
Beschizza was suspended three days for a September 2018 careless riding incident at Kentucky Downs that hospitalized Kendrick Carmouche with a broken femur. Carmouche was sidelined six months. Beschizza received a three-day suspension.
A native of England who first rode in the U.S. in 2015, Beschizza led the 2018-19 Fair Grounds jockey standings. He is currently fourth by wins at the current meet.
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