Pierce Keats, the veterinarian for the racehorses at BCM, has released a statement today that there was a training accident that has left a horse and jockey injured. Sara DeMaria was filling in for an ill Londyn Graham riding Devilish Fox last Friday morning. It was to be a routine workout, but the stallion, heavily known for his fear and behavior issues while gating, had a uniquely bad reaction. Struggling and thrashing in the chute, he eventually reared up, pinning his rider and injuring himself. The ground crew pulled them out with expert efficiency, and both received immediate medical care.

“I want to assure everyone at this time that both Sara and Foxy are in stable conditions. Sara is currently hospitalized with a broken knee cap, sprained ankle, and a torn rotator cuff. It is expected with several months of recovery and rehab she will not have long-term issues with walking. Unfortunately, surgeons are not sure if she will be able to ride as a jockey again, she may be undergoing a knee replacement in the near future. Isabelle Penvelyn, owner of BCM, encouraged Sara to make the choice that was best for her, and at this time we can assure everyone that Sara will be staying with BCM, however for the time being she will be working as the new manager for our brand new showing division. It is uncertain whether Sara will return to work as a jockey for us, but she is part of our family now, and won’t be going anywhere. The horses she normally jockeyed for will be assigned new riders.”

When pressed for information about the reassigned mounts, Pierce did not comment.

“It is with deep sorrow that I have to announce Devilish Fox had numerous injuries, the worse being a fetlock luxation. While I’ve stabilized him and shifted the dislocation back into place, things do not look promising for him to continue racing. He did bump his head, among other injuries, but so far I have not noticed any neurological issues. As Foxy is a five-year-old racer without the prospect of going into the major leagues, it seems the most humane decision is for him to retire at this time. He succeeded in reaching grade two, however his behavioral issues have become too dangerous for us to ethically or morally choose to keep him running. His smaller seasons and slump this year have been due to his unruly nature, and BCM is implementing new safety guidelines and raised the bar on training thresholds to try and prevent something like this from occurring again. This is a dangerous business, we’re glad no one lost their life, and conditions look promising for Sara and Foxy to get on their feet again.”

There were many questions about Devilish Fox’s future, prompting Breeding Stallion Manager George Bergman to step in.

“We considered gelding Foxy for his behavior and try him at showing, but given his age, it seemed unlikely it would have a big enough impact on him to alter his behaviors now. He’s a rowdy gent whose pretty set in his ways. Pierce here is pretty confident he will be able to walk and lope around from time to time without pain after some months of recovery, but I don’t think he’d make a good show horse. Just not in his nature. Sprinters are currently in demand as studs, he may not be a superstar, but paired with calm mares he might sire some fiery competitors. He was difficult, but he was versatile, so he’ll be joining our stallion band once he’s recovered.”

Isabelle was not able to be reached for comment, however David Rittenhouse, lead jockey for the BCM team, left a final word.

“Sara’s departure from our team comes as a difficult blow. We are also losing a second member of our team, as summer is gearing up, Darby Serenson announced his intention to leave us to go to school for child psychology. He is leaving the world of horse racing, for now, to work with troubled children. The three years he worked with us have been fun, he was our resident prankster, and we’ll miss the antics that always elevated our spirits after a tough race. We don’t anticipate much trouble from mounts being reassigned, most of our horses are all used to several of us. We wish both our jockeys happiness and health as we all move forward.”