Update! Callahan says he hopes to return Saturday

Dover Downs’ leading driver Corey Callahan told harnessracing.com Wednesday morning that his return to racing is on a day-to-day basis after a pre-race accident before the first race on Tuesday sent him to the hospital. Callahan said in a best-case scenario he hoping to resume driving on Saturday, March 20. 

Callahan said the incident occurred when his horse, Elizabeth Ann, fell shortly after the post parade. He said seconds later he was hit from behind by another horse. Although, earlier reports stated Callahan had been standing in the sulky trying to help his horse with a hobble issue when he was hit by another horse, the continent’s second-leading dash driver said that wasn’t the case. 

“My horse took a couple bad steps right after the post parade as we went down the backside, and fell right on her face,” said Callahan. “I was still in the bike and then got drilled from behind. 

“I think she just got tangled up and tripped, and that was it. She just took a couple bad steps and then, boom, she was on the ground. Overall, I’m not doing too bad; I feel like I got run over by a horse.” 

Callahan said he spent three hours at the hospital undergoing tests, and that the doctors told him at first “something doesn’t quite look right around your collarbone and one of your ribs might be broken.” Callahan said subsequent x-rays came back negative, but that he is still experiencing some right-shoulder pain that he his hoping to have re-examined later Wednesday. 

Callahan said he hopes his recovery time is minimal as he aims to win the dash title at Dover Downs as well as challenge for the North America championship. 

“I really want to win the title at Dover, and being so close to Aaron (Merriman) I’d like to make a push, at least one time in my life, to lead North America,” said Callahan, whose 139 wins through March 16 are 16 wins behind Merriman. “With Dover closing (April 15), I can start doing doubleheaders like Aaron has been doing and that will give me a chance to catch up. I just sent Aaron a message on Facebook asking how I was going to catch him when he drives 24 a day and I drive 12?”

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