Jockey John Velazquez fractured rib and chipped bone in his right wrist one day after winning the $1 million Wood Memorial aboard undefeated Verrazano.
Velazquez was removed from the track on a stretcher after he was dumped in the seventh race at Aqueduct on Sunday. His mount, Katie Malone, stumbled after running up the heels of a rival. She fell heavily, unseating Velazquez, but was able to regain her feet and was walked off the track.
Velazquez was taken to a hospital for what was thought to be a shoulder injury. The New York Racing Association updated his condition later, saying he would not be kept overnight.
The timing is bad for Velazquez, who is the regular rider of Verrazano and Florida Derby winner Orb, two of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby on May 4.
