ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Jockey Rene Douglas may be paralyzed after being thrown from his horse during a race at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago, his agent said.

Agent Dennis Cooper said Douglas spent seven hours in surgery on Sunday at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital and afterward doctors told him the jockey could not feel his lower limbs. Cooper said doctors won’t know Douglas’ status for certain until swelling reduces in about two weeks.
“They said he might not walk again ... he’ll probably have use of his upper body, but they gave it to me straight that he’s not likely to walk,” Cooper told Bloodhorse.com.
Douglas was aboard Born to Be during Saturday’s Arlington Matron Handicap when the horse clipped hooves with another horse and fell at the top of the stretch. Born to Be flipped and tossed Douglas over her head and then landed on him.
Messages left by The Associated Press for Cooper and a hospital spokeswoman Monday were not immediately returned.
Douglas has nearly 3,600 North American victories, including the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Dreaming of Anna and the 1996 Belmont Stakes on Editor’s Note. His mounts have earned more than $102-million through Saturday.