Jockey Joree Scriver, who was hospitalized when her mount fell in the third race Jan. 1 at Sunland Park in New Mexico, has suffered lower-limb paralysis, Daily Racing Form reports.
The 21-year-old had two surgeries last week after sustaining multiple vertebra fractures and is undergoing treatment at Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. She also is recovering from a collapsed lung, facial fractures, and broken ribs and remains in intensive care.
Scriver's mount, Champion Racing Stable's No Huddle, fell on the backstretch during the six-furlong race for $5,000 claimers. The 3-year-old Fast Anna gelding, trained by Casey Lambert, raced in midpack through the opening quarter mile and appeared clear when he went down. He was subsequently vanned off.
Jockey Luis Fuentes, Scriver's boyfriend, was riding in the same race and said she had no indication of impending peril.
“I was right next to her in the race,” he told the Form. “It happened really quick.”
Both Fuentes and Scriver's family said they are hoping she can be transferred to Craig Hospital, a neurorehabilitation and research hospital in Englewood, Colorado, that specializes in spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.
A native of Washington, Scriver began her professional career in 2019 and rode primarily in the West and Southwest and in 2021 took meet titles at Grants Pass Downs in Oregon and the Elko County Fair in Nevada. Overall, she has won 168 races from 1,274 mounts that have earned $2,581,652 in purses.
To read the full story at drf.com, click here.
To donate to a GoFundMe campaign to help Scriver, click here.
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