Nothing is more disheartening in this racing business than having to witness an accident involving a jockey and his horse during the heat of battle.
Nothing is more concerning than hearing the wailing of a siren as attendants rush to the aid of the fallen.
We all experienced that nauseating feeling last Sunday at Hastings Racecourse during the 5th race when apprentice jockey Jose Asencio went crashing to the dirt after his3-year-old B.C. bred McCallum clipped heels and fell approaching the final turn of a 6 ½ furlong Allowance Optional Claiming race. McCallum walked off under his own power but the same could not be said for 20-year-old Asencio.
He was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital by ambulance where he was diagnosed as having suffered a broken back, broken leg and other painful but less serious injuries. So now the long and arduous recovery period begins for this courageous young man whose father Gabriel, also a jockey, has been at his side since the accident occurred.
Jockey agent Ryan Deyotte has organized a GOFUNDME account to help defray expenses for Asencio and hopefully raise funds for Jose’s mother to fly to Vancouver from Mexico.
Donations can be directed to the GOFUNDME page at:
https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-Jose-Mariano-Asencio/donate
For those fans attending the races in person at Hastings Racecourse, we have placed Jose Asencio donation boxes at various locations to show that we care and stand behind him during his recuperation period.
The horse racing industry as a whole wishes Jose a speedy recovery and we look forward to the day he returns to Hastings Racecourse to resume his promising career.
Sincerely,
Darren MacDonald
General Manager, Hastings Racecourse
Director, BC Racing