Jockey Rajiv Maragh seemed headed for certain victory as his 3-year-old colt Al Basha thundered down the stretch at Belmont Park on that May afternoon in 2007.
But just before crossing the finish line, Al Basha suddenly spooked and turned sharply left. Maragh fell from the saddle, getting kicked in the head on his way down.
He lay on the course for several minutes — out cold with what doctors later diagnosed as a severe concussion.