Grade II winner Teuflesberg, who fractured both sesamoid bones in his left front leg in the Oct. 6 Phoenix Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland, underwent a successful surgery Oct. 11 at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington and is on the way to what co-owner Donnie Kelly hopes will be a full recovery.

“He had surgery today and came out good; his prognosis looks good,” Kelly said. “Dr. (Larry) Bramlage said the next two weeks are crucial because when he broke down he stretched out some of the blood vessels that run down the back of his legs, and there’s a ligament that goes from the back of the knee to the foot that was also stressed. If he’s not getting enough blood supply to that area there’s more risk of infection, so that’s the main concern.”

The 3-year-old son of Johannesburg was initially scheduled for surgery Oct. 8, but the operation was postponed to Oct. 11 to allow the colt’s white blood cell count to recover, said co-owner and trainer Jamie Sanders. Sanders said Bramlage told her the breaks were clean and the bones not shattered. That gave her optimism Teuflesberg will one day stand at stud.

“I was there when he woke up and he actually laid there longer than normal,” Kelly said. “Dr. Bramlage said that was good because the longer (Teuflesberg) stayed there and let the (anesthesia) get out of his system, the better off he is. He got up strong and did it fairly easy, and he took about 20 minutes to get his mind back together. Then he walked to the stall and went right to eating hay; he’s not acting stupid or anything.”

Kelly said the colt’s groom stays with him during the day until his night watchman takes over.

“He’s used to the attention; he’s always been that way,” he said. “In the first couple of days he was a little rambunctious and we had to go in there and hold him and sit with him in the stall, but right now he’s very content. He’s cleaning up all of his food and so far he’s acting a lot better than I thought he would.”

Teuflesberg, who finished fourth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland in April, retires with five wins, including the Woody Stephens Stakes (gr. II). His career earnings total $621,981. The colt is owned by a partnership of Sanders and Kelly, Gary Logsdon, and Jeff Singer.