Arlington still in shock over Douglas injury

I called trainer Chris Block Monday afternoon to talk about Giant Oak’s impressive victory in the $150,000 Arlington Classic on Saturday, but that blog will have to wait.

The foremost thing on Block's and most people’s minds at Arlington Park is the tragic injury suffered by Rene Douglas in the Arlington Matron (G3).

The 42-year-old, six-time leading rider at Arlington faces a battle with paralysis after his mount Born to Be was bumped, clipped heels, and fell as the field turned for home.

“It’s affected the whole racetrack community a whole lot up here,” Block said. “Rene was a fan favorite and a horsemen’s favorite. We don’t have many great riders in Chicago right now, and we all looked forward to seeing him ride when he comes to town for the summer. We’re all holding out hope that things will get better and he might be able to walk.”

When I first started going to Arlington in the early and mid 1990s, the rider colony included jocks such as Pat Day, Shane Sellers, Jorge Velasquez, Mark Guidry, and Garrett Gomez. Looking back, I think the riders were better than the horses! I really didn’t know how good we had it.

Nationally the sport has suffered the retirement of a lot of great riders over the last ten years. The drop-off has hit the Chicago colony hard. When Douglas came to Arlington in 2001 he filled a void.

Already an accomplished veteran (he had been leading rider at Calder in '93 and won the ’96 Belmont Stakes on Editor’s Note), Douglas won 134 races his first season in Chicago, more than twice as many as any other rider. He quickly became the go-to jockey on the circuit, and as his mounts improved in quality, so did his confidence.

When Douglas was in the zone, he seemingly always had his mount in the right place at the right time. He particularly loved Arlington’s turf course, and he knew how to ride it as well as any jockey I’ve seen.

Watch how Douglas made it look easy in the 2007 Beverly D. Stakes (G1) on the #7 horse, 9-to-1 Royal Highness. It was the quintessential Douglas ride -- he saved ground, was tactically placed yet patient, and finished with a strong, well-timed move.

It's one of my lasting memories of Douglas, and one of many great wins he can look back on during his recovery.