Even on the sidelines, Espinoza in spotlight

In case anyone was wondering, Victor Espinoza was tuned in to the races from Del Mar last Sunday when Drayden Van Dyke tied his local record of seven winners on a program.

“Yes, I was watching that little guy,” Espinoza said Friday morning from his home in Del Mar. “I know how that feels. I had to text him congratulations.”

The two jocks went back and forth, ribbing each other like tough competitors do, the Hall of Fame veteran proud to share a piece of history with the hot young commodity on the rise. Van Dyke’s flurry of wins put him on top of the current standings. Espinoza set the mark on Sept. 4, 2006, when he took the Labor Day program by storm. He captured the title that year with 64 wins. And just as Van Dyke’s day included a victory aboard Catapult in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile, Espinoza capped his magnificent seven by winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante with Point Ashley.

“I felt like a king, like I could win every race,” Espinoza said.

Who wouldn’t, after winning the first six races on the card?

“It was a fun day,” he said. “But life is very interesting. Some days you’re up, some days you’re down. But to me, my health is everything. It doesn’t matter how many races you win.”

It has been just over a month since Espinoza was spiked to the Del Mar main track when the stakes horse Bobby Abu Dhabi collapsed nearing the end of a morning workout. The horse died – the results of a state-mandated necropsy are still pending – while Espinoza experienced a temporary loss of feeling in his legs and left arm.

The fear of paralysis hangs over every rider. Espinoza retains a vivid memory of the panic he felt laying on the ground that day. Within hours, the feeling in his limbs returned, and despite the trauma from a cervical fracture and nerve injury, there is no lasting damage to his legs, while his arm continues to respond to physical therapy.

“I take walks and go to therapy three times a day,” Espinoza said. “Every day I’m a little bit better. I don’t get as tired as before. My body is moving faster. There are a lot of small details that have really improved from when I started.”

Professional athletes have an intimate knowledge of their bodies, so it is no surprise that Espinoza continues to take heart in even the most incremental improvements. As with all recoveries from injury, though, the spirit needs to come along for the ride.

“Before I would wake up in the morning and just want to sit in the chair,” Espinoza said. “I’d take a little walk and I’d be tired. I’d have to push myself. Now, I get up and I want to do something right away. I want to get right to my workout. That’s a big bonus.”

Espinoza continues to wear a highly restrictive neck brace and collar to prevent head movement while his fracture heals.

“My arm is the most important right now,” he said. “It’s still a little weak, but each week I see improvement. I do exercises to move my fingers and strengthen my grip. The most I can lift right now is five pounds. That’s up from two pounds last week, and hopefully next week I’ll be up to 10.” And what did he lift before his injury? “I used to go 25, 30 pounds,” Espinoza replied. “That was easy for me.”

As the jockey attached to American Pharoah, who in 2015 became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, Espinoza and his injury have been covered by media far and wide. He was also the regular rider of two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome, in addition to his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars” and commercial work with high-profile products.

As a result, the widespread demand for his story necessitated a press conference even before he was released from a rehabilitation facility in the immediate wake of the accident. It is hard to turn around without an Espinoza update (like this one), and this week a CBS Evening News crew visited Espinoza at home.

“I was asked what was the happiest moment, when I won the Triple Crown or when I could move my legs after the crash,” Espinoza said. “I said forget about it. Not even close.”

To his credit, Espinoza has peeled away a little of the tough-guy attitude jockeys cop when they are hurt.

“I want to share what’s going on in my life right now because I think it’s good for the public to know what jockeys go through in this situation,” he said. “Sometimes I get emotional about it, but that’s okay. You let things accumulate and you just let it out.”

Espinoza also has a home near Santa Anita but he said he will remain in Del Mar even after the meet concludes next month and continue his therapy at a facility in the nearby Scripps Hospital complex in Encinitas.

“It’s the best,” Espinoza said. “I want to stay here until I recover one-hundred percent.”

Which accounts for the body. But how about the mind? There must be moments of depression.

“Why would I be depressed?” Espinoza said. “Every day is a good day. And I’m walking.”