Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, as much a Kentucky Derby fixture as mint juleps and colorful hats

Louisville (AP) -- Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, as much a Kentucky Derby fixture as mint juleps and colorful hats, will undergo hip surgery and could miss the Derby for the first time in more than two decades.

Day said Friday he will have surgery March 30 in Vail, Colo., and faces a rehabilitation of four to 12 weeks.

"This is not a swan song," Day said at Churchill Downs. "This is not a retirement party. I fully expect a complete recovery."

He said he would not rule out trying to come back to ride in the Derby on May 7, but acknowledged he faces "a long shot at best."

Day, 51, is the sport's all-time money earner, and ranks fourth among American jockeys with 8,780 career victories. He has ridden in every Kentucky Derby in since 1984, a 21-year streak that is the longest in Derby history.

Day acknowledged it would be tough to miss the Derby and interrupt his streak, but added, "It's nothing that's going to cause me to lose any sleep."

For all his longevity, Day has won the Derby once, aboard 16-1 long shot Lil E. Tee in 1992. He finished second four times, including three straight years aboard Forty Niner, Easy Goer and Summer Squall, respectively, from 1988 to 1990. He's won the Preakness a record five times and the Belmont Stakes three times. More>>>

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posted by ADMIN @ Saturday, March 19, 2005