Victor Espinoza, the Hall of Fame jockey who has been sidelined since a morning training accident more than four months ago, on Saturday at Del Mar said he was making excellent progress and hoped to return to action by mid-January.

“I’m getting there, almost there,” said Espinoza, who was visiting the track for the first time since the accident on July 22, an indication of how well he is doing.

Espinoza said he is back running in the neighborhood near his home east of Del Mar, where he has remained since the accident. He said he is going to the gym regularly to lift weights, and said he wants to continue to progress in terms of the strength in his arms before getting back on horses.

“I’m almost there. I should be good. A few more weeks. I should be good to go in mid-January,” Espinoza said.

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