Perry Ouzts won a race on his 69th birthday earlier this month and now this...
A fascinating story about resiliency and perseverance for 61-year-old rider
Cindy Murphy.
Jockey Cindy Murphy, 61, records her 2,000th winner in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks aboard Crypto Mo at Prairie Meadows
paulickreport.com
Longtime jockey Cindy Murphy was just seven wins away from her milestone 2,000th victory last June at Prairie Meadows, but a pre-race incident left her with injuries severe enough that that goal could easily have been ripped from her grasp forever.
Riding the 2-year-old filly Crypto Mo, trained by her husband Travis, Murphy was approaching the starting gates when the first-time starter spooked and reared straight into the air. Then 60 years old, Murphy recalls bailing out off the filly's side, but Crypto Mo lost her balance and landed on top of her rider.
“I can remember laying on the ground,and I knew I was injured, but I was telling the guys to go get another rider because I knew how nice this filly was,” Murphy said. “She wasn't hurt or anything, but it was a long enough delay to get me loaded up into the ambulance.”
Murphy was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with eight broken ribs, four pelvic fractures, and a tear in her abdominal wall. Her pelvis was misaligned, though doctors didn't catch that until several weeks later, and Murphy opted to continue her healing without any surgery.
It was 13 months later when Murphy triumphantly piloted that same Crypto Mo to victory in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks, making that 2,000-win milestone a reality and earning her first graded stakes win in the process.
“It's a goal I've been trying to reach for a long time,” said Murphy. “You know, it's been one setback after another, but I finally reached it!”
Now 61 years young with her longtime goal achieved, Murphy can feel retirement beckoning.