God bless and godspeed...
KYLE KAENEL RETIRES DUE TO INJURIES SUFFERED IN SPILL
Jockey Kyle Kaenel has retired due to extensive injuries the 21-year-old Oceanside, N.Y., native suffered in a riding spill at Fairplex Park on Sept. 27.
“I have a broken (right) collarbone, a broken acromion, a broken shoulder blade, and a pinched nerve in my back, for which I have to see a spine surgeon on Wednesday,” said the tall and lanky Kaenel, son of legendary former rider Cowboy Jack Kaenel, who was the youngest jockey to win a Triple Crown race when he rode Aloma’s Ruler at the age of 16 in the 1982 Preakness Stakes. “I already broke my neck and back in two places, and each time doctors have told me that’s it, as far as riding is concerned,” Kaenel continued. “I’ve got a family now, so I feel lucky if I can walk away from this one.“It wouldn’t be fair to them for me to ask them to push me around in a wheelchair,” Kaenel said. “I rode for five years. It was a fun career, and I will miss it terribly.”
So young; glad he is walking away.
|