When reigning 2012 Eclipse Award winning jockey Ramon Dominguez sustained a fractured skull in a riding accident at Aqueduct on Jan. 18, everyone feared the worst.  He was in critical condition for a slightly displaced skull fracture. The good news is that he is making great strides in his recovery, and he is impressing all of his doctors.

“So far, all the doctors, whenever I ask them how long I will be out, they were not able to respond because I guess it was too early,” Dominguez said. “But everybody says you will make a full recovery very quick; you’re doing better than you’re supposed to at this point. Everybody seems very optimistic.”

Ramon was released from the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital on Feb. 6 and has been doing the physical, occupational, and speech/recognition therapies that are so improtant to his recovery.  He has done these in the past few weeks at a local clinic. Dominguez said that after his first session his physical therapist told him there is nothing more he can do for him because “my physical level is pretty high.”

He has said that he will continue to do the other therapies.  He may even try another physical therapist which sometimes helps with recovery.  There is three more weeks before his meeting with his doctors at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital.  His doctors are Barry Jordan and Mark Herceg,  who would be the Doctors to give him clearance to exercise horses in the morning.

Ramon has said that he is hopeful to receive the clearance from the Doctors in three weeks to begin getting on horses in the morning.  That could pave the way for him to return to horse racing as a jockey in late March.

A return in late March would set him up to be in line for a Kentucky Derby horse and have him out there looking for a Kentucky Derby horse and 2013 Kentucky Derby tickets for his family and friends. Ramon Dominguez has never won the Derby. He is winless in nine Derby rides with his best result being a second-place finish aboard Bluegrass Cat in 2006. Kentucky Derby Tours hopes that Ramon will feel physically and mentally strong enough to return to racing

“If you ask me personally, without knowing the doctors, I feel capable physically of doing it right now – I feel that good,” Dominguez said.

Good Luck Ramon!

To see other 2012 Eclipse Award winniner – see our blog at https://kentuckyderbytours.com/blog/2013/01/20/2012-eclipse-award-winners-announced-at-gulfstream-park/