Four years after a race spill that ended his career as a jockey and almost cost him his life, Gary Boulanger is back in the winner's circle as a trainer.

Boulanger gained his first victory in his new career on Sept. 13, when 6-year-old mare Tinkerbuck won the day's first race at Calder Race Course.

Boulanger calls that win ``a special thrill,'' following his recovery from serious head and body injuries. He credits the encouragement of his family and friends and a competitive spirit that sustained him during low points.

``Any athlete who competes on a high level and has success knows that you never give up,'' Boulanger (pronounced BOO-lahn-jay) said Wednesday at his Calder barn.

Boulanger, 41, led Calder jockeys in wins in 1994 and 1995. He won 3,104 races before the spill in a 2005 race at Gulfstream Park.

He didn't give up, despite suffering a ruptured spleen, broken ribs and a detached elbow tendon. Doctors also had to remove part of his skull and a blood clot from his brain.

Boulanger regained his motor skills over several months.

``I still get migraines and get fatigued sometimes,'' he said. ``I know it will always be a battle, but I wanted to stay with racing.''

Boulanger, a native of Calgary, Alberta, began training this year at Calder's race meet that began in April.

Boulanger trains five horses and hopes to add more this fall. He rides them in some morning workouts.

``When Gary gets on a horse, he can tell you all the things that are right and that are wrong,'' said Joe Celli, a partner in RV Racing Stable, which owns Tinkerbuck.

Celli, who lives in Miramar, thinks that's the main reason why Boulanger will be a successful trainer.

Through Thursday, Boulanger's horses had 18 starts with three second-place finishes in addition to Tinkerbuck's win.

CAREER-ENDING FALL

His jockey career had a horrifying ending on Jan. 30, 2005, when his mount In Hand slipped and fell during a turf race at Gulfstream and tossed him into the path of two other horses. In Hand was euthanized.

Boulanger spent 16 days at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he underwent operations.

Jockeys and other friends organized a golf tournament and other benefits to help pay his medical bills.

When Boulanger returned to his home in Pembroke Pines, he had bouts of severe headaches and what he calls ``not being able to hold food down.''

By 2007, his condition had improved and he obtained a trainer's license. But his start in that career was delayed when he broke a leg last October while working with horses on a farm in Davie.

After Boulanger recovered from that injury, his friend and retired trainer Robert ``Rock'' Forshay introduced him to Celli and the two other partners in RV Racing. They placed Tinkerbuck and two other horses with Boulanger.

``When I was riding, a lot of people told me that I had the knowledge to be a trainer,'' Boulanger said.

`AN AWFUL ORDEAL'

``Gary went through an awful ordeal,'' said trainer Manny Tortora, for whom Boulanger rode several stakes winners. ``But if you see him and talk with him, you would never know it.''

Boulanger said he will not consider a jockey comeback primarily because of concern for his wife Lisa and their five children.

``We have a 1-year-old grandson, and I want to see him grow up,'' he said.

Boulanger hopes that safety initiatives by race tracks will help reduce the number of spills and serious injuries for jockeys and horses.

This year, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association began a review of safety for horses and jockeys at its member tracks. Standards include veterinarians' examinations of horses, on-track procedures for medical emergencies and requirements for jockeys' safety vests and helmets.

Officials of Calder and Gulfstream, which are scheduled for reviews within several months, said they expect to meet all standards for safety accreditation.

Tracks that don't meet standards will not face fines or other discipline.

``We feel this will be like the accreditations for hospitals,'' said Mike Ziegler, NTRA executive director for safety review. ``We want [horse] owners and fans to know which tracks meet safety standards.''

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@