Driver Brett Beckwith was injured in a racing accident at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday, April 12.

The 23-year-old reinsman sustained multiple injuries when the horse he was driving fell behind the starting gate leading up to the afternoon's sixth race, the $22,916 Open Handicap Pace. 

Beckwith was transported to hospital following the incident, with early reports from his family indicating that he suffered a broken wrist and jaw as well as a minor brain bleed.

"He is stable and his vitals have been great throughout the entire day," said Beckwith's mother Melissa on Sunday evening. "He unfortunately broke his wrist and jaw. They will do surgery to repair his wrist. He does have a minor brain bleed. The neurosurgeon described it to us as if your brain has bruises on it. He is very optimistic that it will heal on its own and requires no type of surgery at this time. To be safe, Brett will receive regular CT scans to keep an eye on his brain and if there are any changes. He has been alert this entire time and knows what is going on. As to be expected, he is upset that he will have to sit on the sidelines for sometime but we are just thankful that he is ok."

She also noted that the Beckwith family is grateful for the well wishes they have received.

The horse involved, One More Bet, trained by Beckwith's mother, reportedly walked off the track without serious injury and was scratched from the race. 

The youngest driver in harness racing history to surpass 2,000 career wins, Beckwith is currently the second-leading driver in North America this year having won 185 races so far. 

Further updates on the reinsman will be provided if made available.

The Open was later contested and won by Soft Shot in wire-to-wire fashion with Kyle Swift driving for trainer James McAssey. The winning time for the Heston Blue Chip-Aims Whisper mare was 1:53.

Please join Standardbred Canada in wishing Brett Beckwith a full and speedy recovery.

(Standardbred Canada)