“Riding thoroughbreds has always been my passion and my calling. When I was 13 and watched my first horse race in Venezuela, I knew that I would become a jockey, and my riding career has brought happiness and success beyond what I ever expected,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez, 36, was injured back on January 18 when he was thrown to the Aqueduct inner dirt track and kicked in the head by oncoming horse, fracturing his skull.
He won the last three Eclipse Awards as North America’s top rider and accumulated $25,582,252 in purse earnings in 2012, a single year record. Dominguez was a premier rider, dominating the New York circuit from 2009-12, taking 20 individual meet titles.
“It is extremely difficult for me to announce that due to the severity of the injuries I sustained in an accident at Aqueduct Racetrack on January 18, my professional riding career has come to an end,” Dominguez said. “While I hoped and even expected to be able to return to the saddle, as a result of my injuries and upon the advice of my treating physicians, it has been determined that I will no longer be able to pursue my career as a jockey.”
