by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — After being away from the wars since early September following a spill that resulted in breaking both bones in his ankle, Jim “Chip” Lackey was scheduled to return to limited action this weekend at Cal Expo.

The 58-year-old pilot has recorded 3,212 victories in his career, amassing earnings of more than $14 million, and has been a mainstay in the California driver’s room for nearly four decades.

“I still haven’t been able to watch the replay,” Lackey explained when asked about the September 5 accident. “It was a chain reaction, and I think it happened when the horse rolled over on me and pinned my leg.

“After they took the X-rays, they said they needed to operate the next day. They put in two plates and four screws and the operation went fine. I pretty much did the recovery on my own, and then a few weeks ago I started rehab.”

The most amazing aspect of this story is the fact that through all these years and thousands and thousands of drives, this was the first time Lackey ever suffered a broken bone on the racetrack.

“I’ve been in some major spills, including one a few years ago where I was catapulted out of the bike and landed on my head, but I was lucky enough to walk away without anything but some soreness. I’ve always tried to keep myself in good shape, and that helps, but you also have to be very lucky.”

Ironically, only a week after Lackey’s accident, jockey Michael Martinez was paralyzed in a fall at Golden Gate.

“You know, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when my spill first happened, and then I read about what happened to that rider and realized this was nothing. It helped put it all in perspective.”

Live racing resumes at Cal Expo on Thursday (Dec. 30) and continues through Saturday (Jan. 1). Post time on Thursday is 5:30 p.m. (PST). Special New Year’s Eve post time on Friday (Dec. 31) is at 3:40 p.m. Post time on Saturday is at 6 p.m.