Spill Sidelines Playfair’S Leading Jockey

The leading rider at Playfair Race Course, injured in a five-horse spill at Portland Meadows on Thursday, will miss the last two scheduled days of racing in Spokane.

Lorenzo Lopez, who won 63 races in 216 rides at Playfair, suffered a knee injury of undetermined severity in a spill after the finish of a race at Portland.

He was replaced here Sunday and Monday nights by Shawna Barber. Clark Jones is due in from Portland to ride a 10-race card Wednesday night that includes the Playfair Marathon, a 2-mile race.

The jockey colony was stretched Sunday night when Jack Kaenel hurt his back early in the program but continued to ride in pain, Playfair general manager Ross Yearout said.

“I give credit to Kaenel,” Yearout said. “He was barely able to sit on a horse, but we had nobody else. And it was nice of Shawna Barber to give up her days off to fly in from Portland to help us.”

Lopez, who plans to finish the bulk of the long Portland winter meet before returning to Emerald Downs in April, finished well ahead of runner-up Rowdy Luark in the Playfair jockey standings.

Luark has 38 wins heading into Wednesday night’s program.

Lane Rennaker, who missed half the meet with a shoulder injury, wound up third in the rider standings.

Wednesday’s card will start earlier, at 4:05 p.m., to accommodate 10 races. The program includes an Arabian stakes race and two $5,000 stakes for claimers. Playfair is scheduled to close Sunday.