OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockey Luis Cardenas, injured in a spill at Saratoga in the summer of 2021 and who has not ridden races since the fall of 2022, is back exercising horses with the goal of returning to race-riding this fall. Cardenas, 27, has been exercising horses for trainer Tom Morley and a few others for about a month. He said he was cleared by doctors to return to riding in the morning, but not yet in the afternoon. “I want to come back slowly, take my time especially now while the big boys are here,” said Cardenas, who has recorded 92 career wins. “I want to get started maybe in September. When the opportunity is right, I’ll be happy to jump into it.” Cardenas was the leading apprentice in New York in 2020 with 41 victories. At Aqueduct’s 2020-21 winter meet, he won 31 races, good enough for sixth in the jockey standings. On the second day of the 2021 Saratoga meet, Cardenas was unseated when his mount, Strong Moment, broke down in the stretch of a turf race. Cardenas suffered multiple injuries, but it was the head trauma that proved the most serious. He had recurring concussions and didn’t ride again until March 2022. After six months, Cardenas still was suffering concussions. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  “I talked to the doctor, he thought the best thing for me was to take some time off,” Cardenas said. “He said maybe I came back a little too quick. So far, it was the best decision I ever made.”  Morley said he’s happy to have Cardenas working for him in the morning. “There are win photos in my office with Luis aboard,” Morley said. “He’s always been part of the team. I was thrilled when he asked ‘can I get on some horses?’ He’s obviously a huge asset breezing horses. Really looking forward to him being cleared to ride later in the year and we will be using him as often as we did before.” * Notable workers on Thursday’s tab at Belmont Park were Donegal Momentum, a debut winning 3-year-old by Uncle Mo who went five furlongs in 1:00.82 under Javier Castellano for Morley. His next race has not yet been finalized. War Tax, a debut winning New York-bred 2-year-old by Outwork, breezed a half-mile in 47.90 seconds under jockey Jose Gomez. Trainer Carlos Martin said he would point the horse to the Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga on July 13. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.