Jockey Care Clinic talks about how jockeys stay in peak health

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - It takes a lot to ride as a jockey in the Kentucky Derby and making sure those elite athletes are in peak health is important.

The Churchill Downs Jockey Care Clinic talked about how the health experts maintain the athletes health.

Norton Sports and Health said they require all jockeys to have a physical and receive concussion evaluations, which are required by federal regulation.

One of the physicians who works with the jockeys told WAVE News what an average day at the track looks like.

“If I feel like maybe they hurt an ankle, a foot, a knee, we’re looking to see can they walk, are they able to do just normal things first or are they limping and dragging their leg,” Churchill Downs Jockey Care Clinic Physician Dr. Luke Beggs said. “If it’s a concussion, it can be a little more subtle.”

He said that the most common injuries often reported down at the track with jockeys are concussions, as well as muscular and skeletal injuries.