CHECK OUT OUR NEW HOME ON THE WEB....
We decided to make a female jockey only web site cause we both feel that female jockeys are under appreciated in the sport of horse racing. They have many more obstacles to overcome than their male counterparts. A few include: some trainers/owners will not a ride a female jockey no matter what cause they feel a male jockey is better than a female jockey, a few trainers/owners only offer live horses in exchange for sexual favors, and some sleazy agents that tell them lies for their own gain and instead of trying to get them quality rides, they put them on non-competitive horses (here’s how it works: the agent lines the female rider up with the top trainers’ weakest horses to get in good with the trainer, so that his male jockey will be first in line to ride this trainer’s good horses in big races), and I am sure there are many others.
Our opinion is that female jockeys, as a group, are every bit as good as their male counterparts. Unfortunately, they never seem to receive the credit that they deserve. "You’d bet on a girl rider? Are you out of your mind?!?!" Yeah, I’ve heard that before, many times in fact. I even heard it at Monmouth Park when Hall of Famer Julie Krone was riding my selection. Even the way the female riders are treated by their male rivals can be widely varied. Sometimes, they are seen as "just one of the guys." But I’ve witnessed some other treatments, including one time a male jockey punched and knocked over a water cooler near the weigh-out scale after losing a photo finish to a female rider. Even the mere presence of female riders is varied in different parts of the country. In South Florida, there are six female riders competing at the time of this writing (August 2001) and the winner’s circle is visited by a female jockey, on average, two or three times a day. In Southern California, meanwhile, the only time you’ll see a female jockey is when she comes into town for a big race with a horse she’s ridden elsewhere. The topper was last winter’s meet at Turfway Park in Kentucky, where the runaway riding champion was a woman, and female jockeys comprised a majority of the top ten standings.
We have both searched the world wide web and found that most sites dedicated to horse racing and/or jockeys have very little or no information on female jockeys. That is why we decided to do our own little web site. This site will feature interviews and stories on female jockeys and female jockeys only.
Since we are both based on the East Coast you will find interviews with mostly female riders on the East Coast. Hopefully as the site grows we can interview female riders from all across the US. On our site you will be able to read interviews with female riders that are just starting out in the sport all the way up to jockeys who have been riding for years. You will read how they got started, their triumphs, their tragedies and everything in between. We welcome all feedback on our page. Feel free to email what you liked about our page and what you didn't like. If anybody knows of any female riders, please show them our site and have them contact one of us so we can interview them for our site. We would like to thank you for checking out our page and to all the female riders out there we hope to see you on our web site and more importantly in the winner's circle.
(Chris) - femaleonthehorse@aol.com
Here's the way this index works...If you see the name of a female jockey below with a link, it means that her profile/interview page is up there for you to enjoy. If you see a name with no link, this is our way of letting you know that we have interviewed this jockey and her page is in the process of being constructed. We guarantee you that the name will not be linkless for very long. Both of us hold down full-time jobs and this website, as seriously as we are taking it, still falls under the category of a hobby for us. We are constantly searching for female jockeys to interview (I guess our goal is to have EVERY female jockey in North America featured at some point), and just because a jockey's name doesn't appear below doesn't mean we haven't approached her or arranged to interview her, but it does mean that we haven't actually done the interview yet.
To receive an email when this page is updated, please contact femaleonthehorse@aol.com
79 JOCKEY INTERVIEWS SO FAR...AND MANY MORE ON THE WAY!!
Latest
Interviews Added:
Amanda Crandall
Annika Kallse
Dawn Harrison
Joddie Fortner
Janeen Painter
Lisa (Dellipaoli) Platts
Cheryl Hirst
Catherine Weilby
Shannon Beauregard
Beth Butler
Maureen Andrews (veteran jockey currently riding at Mountaineer Park)
Traci Baird (retired jockey who rode in Louisiana)
Shannon Beauregard (apprentice jockey from Canada)
Elizabeth Becht (former jockey who is now an owner/trainer at Philadelphia Park)
Jo Black (English-born jockey currently riding in Arizona)
Janice Blake (leading female jockey at Philadelphia Park)
Natasha Bracaloni (up-and-coming rider on the Mid-Atlantic circuit)
Jennifer Bramblett (jockey who has ridden at several tracks and has recently returned to Delaware Park)
Beth Butler (jockey who has ridden at several tracks in the midwest)
Mary C. Brock (part-time east coast rider)
Tracey Brown (part-time rider on the east coast)
Denise Bush-Bennett (veteran rider, she rode at Great Lakes Downs in 2002)
Zoe Cadman (popular Chicago jockey and the only female to win a riding title at a Chicago-area track)
Sally Chappell (has ridden for over a decade, primarily at Remington Park)
Rhonda Collins (winner of the female jockey challenge at Hoosier Park in November, 2001; top female jockey--and fifth overall--at River Downs during the 2001 summer meet)
Becky Cominsky (retired jockey who has been out of the sport for over a decade)
Raina Covington (apprentice jockey currently riding at Philadelphia Park)
Amanda Crandall (rising apprentice jockey on the Texas circuit)
Diane Crump (the FIRST female jockey to ride in a race, and the FIRST female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby!!)
Allison DeMajistre Juvonen (rarely rides anymore but was the apprentice champion at Tampa Bay Downs)
Sandi Dorr (new jockey at Philadelphia Park; previously rode at Mountaineer Park)
Mary Doser (winningest female jockey in the nation-1999, and 1999 Great Lakes Downs riding champion)
Kim Dvorak (rides thoroughbreds and Arabians at Delaware Park)
Ashton
Fitzpatrick (young rider on the Maryland circuit; won her first race in
December, 2002)
Pauline Forkhamer (east coast rider--primarily Finger Lakes in New York--returned recently from injury)
Joddie Fortner (veteran rider still going strong after 25 years in the irons)
Laura Freeman (rode in the northeast--primarily New Jersey--during 2001)
Sarah Gibson (new rider at Charles Town Races; began her apprentice year on September 22, 2001)
Christina Gray (currently rides in Louisiana after making her mark in New England)
Dawn Harrison (retired jockey who was among the first to try the tough Southern California circuit)
Amy Hebert (amateur jockey who is based at Monmouth Park)
Tara Hemmings (England native currently riding at Philadelphia Park)
Alison Hershbell (leading female jockey at Delaware Park and the 2001 Arabian racing Jockey of the Year)
Kristina Hershey (apprentice jockey at Penn National Race Course who is returning to riding after a brief hiatus)
Cheryl Hirst (jockey who rode in the northeast in the early 1990's; now works in the horse transportation business)
Danielle Hodsdon (steeplechase jockey who has also won several amateur races on the flat)
Rosemary Homeister, Jr. (winningest female jockey in the nation-2000, and 2001 Hialeah Park riding champion)
Charleen Hunt (Florida-based rider who won a Grade 3 stake just three months after her first win)
Heather Irion (Young rider from the midwest who rode on the east coast and at Oaklawn as well)
Jill Jellison (veteran New England jockey--19 years in the saddle--with over 1,000 career wins)
Gwen Jocson (retired jockey who rode up and down the east coast during her career)
Annika Kallse (Amateur rider from Sweden who won a race at Philadelphia Park)
Helena Keaveney (Irish native plying her trade on the New England circuit)
Kaymarie Kreidel (excellent mid-Atlantic region jockey)
Greta Kuntzweiler (finalist for the Eclipse Award--Top Apprentice--in 2000, and 2002 Turfway Park riding champion)
Roxane Losey (retired in 1999 after a successful career in the midwest, the east coast, and the southwest)
Lisa Love (familiar jockey to fans at Thistledown who is giving south Florida a try in 2003)
Megan Ludlow (successful east coast apprentice in 1998; now rides primarily in Nebraska)
Liz Lundberg (Mountaineer Park-based rider; interesting and informative interview but fair warning: it's long)
Michelle Luttrell (veteran rider who has ridden in South America; now returning to riding at Philadelphia Park)
Jane Magrell (veteran jockey who rides primarily at Thistledown)
Cynthia Medina (one of the midwest's top riders; she is fast closing in on 1,000 career victories)
Blythe Miller (one of the top steeplechase jockeys in the world and the only female jockey to win a Breeder's Cup race)
Louise Moeller (the tallest jockey in the sport at 6'1"; rode at Gulfstream Park's 2002 meet)
Diane Nelson (member of the 1,000-win club and the only female jockey currently riding regularly on the NYRA circuit)
Jerri Nichols (Louisiana native who has ridden at every track in her home state, and several others as well; member of the 1,000 win club)
Cindy Noll (she's won over 1,000 races and has ridden at more tracks than almost any jockey in the sport-read the interview!)
Janeen Painter (rode in races for over 10 years and is now an exercise rider; she has helped to prep several Breeder's Cup winners)
Tammi Piermarini (longtime rider who has spent most of her career in New England)
Lisa (Dellipaoli) Platts (1997 Atlantic City leading rider, now rides at Woodbine in Canada)
Kris Prather (Finalist for 2001 Outstanding Apprentice Jockey Eclipse Award and holder of all records at Turfway Park)
Chandra Rennie (she recently set the record for most wins by a female rider at Louisiana Downs; she also spent three years as a trainer)
Bacarra Rice (new apprentice who began her career late in 2001; current home track is Penn National Race Course)
Jennifer Schmidt (apprentice rider who arrived at Philadelphia Park in late 2003 from Thistledown)
Rolanda Simpson (finalist for the 1999 Top Apprentice Eclipse Award)
Kelly Spanabel (veteran jockey who we met at Great Lakes Downs in 2002)
Monica Stanley (regular rider on the Louisiana circuit; won a $100,000 stakes race in 1999 at Louisiana Downs)
Jennifer Stisted (Mid-Atlantic region jockey who rides for the nation's leading trainer)
Kim Stover (the first jockey to email us and ask to be included; she rides both thoroughbreds AND quarter horses; put the two together and she has over 1,000 wins!)
Chantal Sutherland (apprentice rider at Woodbine in Canada)
Rhonda Swan (rides primarily at Thistledown; married to jockey Scott Spieth)
Katherine Talman (began her riding career at Portland Meadows before coming east in 2003)
Kendra Taylor (veteran east coast jockey who now rides part-time)
Catherine Treyman (New Zealand native who has ridden in several countries, including a brief stint in the U.S. at Canterbury Park)
Sidney Underwood (currently a trainer; top rider on the east coast before a serious injury ended her riding career)
Shannon Uske (New York apprentice jockey; she won the first race of her career at Gulfstream in 2003)
Catherine Weilby (Scandanavian-born jockey)
Cheryl White (the first African-American female jockey, and now the first female steward at a California race track)
Julie Will (amateur rider from Germany)
RECENT NEWS REGARDING FEMALE JOCKEYS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW (We said that female jockeys are often short-changed when it comes to coverage in the media!)
April 24 was a big day for two female jockeys on opposite coasts. At Aqueduct Race Track in New York, Shannon Uske won her first stakes race aboard Chilly Rooster in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Handicap. Later that day, at Hollywood Park in California, Sandi Gann won the TVG Khaled Stakes aboard Turf Paradise shipper Black Bart. It was Black Bart's third consecutive stakes win, and all have come with Gann aboard.
Cynthia Medina recently returned to riding at Fairmount Park.
Congratulations
to Zoe Cadman, who was recently married. Zoe has decided to retire from race-riding.
Congratulations to Mary Doser, the leading winning female jockey in North
America in 2003!!
Congratulations to Greta Kuntzweiler, winner of the third annual Ladies' Night Female Jockey Challenge at Hoosier Park.
Congratulations to Julie Krone for winning the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies race aboard "Halfbridled"
A fund has been set up for jockey Remi Gunn who was injured in a spill at Ellis Park and may be confined to a wheelchair. If you would like to make a contribution, send a check with the account number 0040570576 clearly written in the memo section to:
The
Remi A. Gunn Fund
AmSouth Bank
2734 NE Jacksonville Boulevard
Ocala, FL 34470
Contributions may also be made electronically. Contact AmSouth Bank branch manager Judy McWilliams at (352) 622-6233
LINKS AREA
Here are some other horse-related web sites we like to visit, as well as website links of some of our favorite race tracks. If you want your site added to our links area, send us the link and do us a favor and post ours.
HORSE, RACING, AND JOCKEY LINKS
Jockeytalk.com (Excellent site about jockeys)
Kris Prather Site (All about one of the most promising young riders to arrive on the scene in years!)
The Jockey's Room (All kinds of information about thoroughbred jockeys around the world)
Greta Kuntzweiler Unofficial Fan Site (Self-explanatory)
Zoe Cadman Profile Page (From barntowire.com, a Chicago-based racing web site)
Full Of Rum (Adventures at the track! A great site by a South Florida racing fan; he really appreciates the talent of the female members of the jockey colony at Calder, Gulfstream, and Hialeah, or at least he did at Hialeah before they closed down!)
Horses Only (The place to find links to lots of different horse-related things; primarily devoted to quarter horses)
Racing Advertiser (Site dedicated to finding or advertising anything related to horse racing)
Horse Sales (Site with information about buying or selling horses of all breeds, plus other interesting info)
Buff Bradley Racing Stable (Homepage of Buff Bradley Stable, which races year-round in Kentucky)
My Bay Mare Art Studio (Original art by retired jockey Melanie Murphy)
Female Jockeys at Turfway Park Group Picture (Check this out!! A huge THANK YOU to Rhonda Collins for sending this to us!!)
RACETRACK LINKS
CHRIS' OTHER LINKS
Metalcore Fanzine (Chris' music fan site. The photo section includes several female jockey photos!)
(Chris'
racing page, including track diaries, more interviews, and racing-related
things)
