Jockey dies in race at Alameda County Fair track HORSE RACING

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Jorge Herrera, a 33-year-old jockey who had ridden sparingly over the past three years, died from head injuries sustained when he was thrown from his mount in the eighth race Thursday at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton.

Herrera was riding Morito in the $5,000 maiden-claiming event and was in the middle of a group of horses approaching the turn of the 5-furlong race. Morito clipped the heels of Tribal Sun, stumbled and sent Herrera to the track.

It was not clear whether the impact of the fall or contact with the hooves of his mount or with those of another horse caused the injury that resulted in Herrera's death.

Herrera was taken to Eden Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Alameda County coroners' office was not available to provide the exact cause of death.

The jockey had ridden Nubian to a last-place finish in Thursday's sixth race.

Herrera, a native of Jalisco, Mexico, had ridden in the United States beginning in 2004 and had 56 winners from 1,010 mounts. His best year came in 2005 when he had 31 winners from 301 mounts, but he had gone 0-for-65 since 2009 while riding mainly in Oregon and Washington.

"This was a horrible situation of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," said fair-circuit racing secretary Tom Doutrich, who also is a jockey agent. "It's a horrible story. We do everything we can to try to prevent injuries, but it's a very risky sport."

The death came 37 years to the day that jockey Juan Gonzalez was killed in a spill at the Alameda County Fair.

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