Jockey Serafin Carmona Hospitalized With C4 Fracture After Oaklawn Spill

Jockey Serafin Carmona is hospitalized after a spill in the ninth race at Oaklawn Park on March 6, 2026, suffering a cervical spine injury described by Oaklawn officials as a fracture to the C4 vertebra while aboard Balandeen Storm. The injury occurred in the featured ninth race of the card and immediately removed Carmona from competition.

Oaklawn Park officials identified the injury as a cervical spine injury, and subsequent reporting described the damage specifically as a fracture to the C4 vertebra. Balandeen Storm was the mount involved in the incident, and the spill in race nine became the primary medical concern for the evening at the Hot Springs, Arkansas track.

Carmona’s hospitalization follows the fall in race nine, and Oaklawn’s characterization of a C4 fracture places the jockey under close medical supervision at a local hospital. The combination of a cervical spine injury and an acute fall aboard Balandeen Storm highlights the severity of the incident that unfolded during the race on March 6, 2026.

The ninth race at Oaklawn Park on March 6 produced a high-profile medical emergency when Carmona went down while riding Balandeen Storm; track officials and later reports focused on the C4 fracture in updates to stewards and racing staff. Oaklawn officials handled immediate on-track response and relayed that the injury involved the cervical spine.

Further information about Carmona’s prognosis, the condition of Balandeen Storm after the spill, and any changes to riding assignments at Oaklawn Park has not been detailed beyond the initial official description of a C4 vertebra fracture. Racing operations at Oaklawn will monitor the situation involving Serafin Carmona as medical updates and steward reports are released following the ninth race incident on March 6, 2026.