I don't even know Jena, but her reputation as a superb horsewoman preceded her win, that reputation spread by the women in the industry devoted to aftercare, quality horsemanship, and always doing right by the horse. You see, there's a network of us in the sport in various segments of participation, from equine attorneys and small breeders like myself, to exercise riders, grooms, hotwalkers, bloodstock agents and pedigree consultants, media, farm staff both in and out of the office, racetrack employees, veterinarians, and trainers, many of us who weren't born into the industry, but who found our way into racing because of the sheer love of the animal. These women represent a large swath of participants in the sport doing their best to make it better, oftentimes unheralded, underpaid, unnoticed, and underappreciated.

We all know how hard it is for small trainers–let alone female trainers–to get support from owners and racetracks. While Jena's win was the second win for a female in a Triple Crown race (jockey Julie Krone being the first by winning the Belmont S. in 1993), the 30 years between such victories reflects the painfully slow growth in opportunities that women continue to experience in racing, a sport with a rich history of hurting itself.

There's no need to regurgitate the depths of those issues here, but I will conclude with this: representation matters. Jena's win matters, for all of us. It gives us hope. It ignites fires in young girls across the nation and it re-sparks old flames that have flickered in the winds of time.

Amanda Luby, Welbourne Stud

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NBC equine sports analyst and former jockey Donna Brothers, pioneering female jockey Diane Crump, Hall of Fame trainer Janet Elliot, racing's winningest female jockey and Hall of Famer Julie Krone, and steeplechase veteran Jo Motion will be joined by Patti Barton–the leading female jockey in the United States from 1972 until four years after her retirement in 1984 (and mother of Donna Brothers).

Additionally, the founders of the Thoroughbred Ladies Cocktail Club–Katie Taylor of Taylor Made Sales and Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall Farm–will bring viewers an insider discussion aimed toward the next generation of young women looking to get in–and stay in–the business. Taylor and Brogden started the Thoroughbred Ladies Cocktail Club to bring women throughout the horse industry together in a place where they can be themselves with no pressure, no rules, and no agenda.

For more information on the event, and to find out how to tune in, visit StreamHorseTV's Trailblazing Horsewomen channel. The event will be directly accessible for free there and on StreamHorseTV's Facebook and YouTube pages at 6 p.m. EST Tuesday, Mar. 15. No tickets or RSVP are necessary. For those who you can't attend the livestream, an evergreen replay of the event will be available on StreamHorseTV.

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Any nod to history–especially at America's most history-steeped track–is generally a welcome idea. Originally dubbed the “Wilson Chute” in honor of Richard T. Wilson, the president of the Saratoga Racing Association during the early 20th century, the perpendicular-to-the-stands starting area that ran more or less parallel to Nelson Avenue debuted 120 years ago and remained in use for seven decades before being repurposed as a parking lot in 1972.

Because Saratoga is a 1 1/8-miles oval, two-turn dirt starts at distances of one mile or 1 1/16 miles don't exist because the run into the clubhouse bend has been deemed too short to be fair or safe. The new mile chute should add distance diversity, filling the gap between seven-furlong races that start on the backstretch and nine-furlong contests that begin in front of the stands.

Plus, quirky track configurations are appealing if done right. Think of Santa Anita's unique downhill turf course or the undulating, all-grass topography of Kentucky Downs. The only other North American dirt track with a similar mile-chute setup, Ellis Park, was actually modeled after Saratoga's Wilson Chute when it was built as Dade Park a century ago.

But before wading too deeply into nostalgia and aesthetics, let's be candid: If the idea of one-mile races around 1 1/2 turns at Saratoga is such a no-brainer, why is NYRA just now trying to revive the concept?

After the Wilson Chute fell out of favor in the early 1970s, one-mile starts near that spot were brought back briefly in 1992. But that configuration wasn't so much a true chute as a different gate placement in which mile races started at an angle on the turn.

By the end of that meet 30 years ago, the prevailing perception among horseplayers and horsemen was that those starts were disadvantageous to outside-drawn runners and potentially dangerous because of crowding into the too-quick turn. As a result, we haven't seen a main-track mile at the Spa since.

But do those perceptions match reality? Not if you believe the charts from the 25 one-mile dirt races run at Saratoga in '92.

Before we delve into those numbers, a bit of history:

The 1902 Saratoga meet represented a major positive turn in the history of the track. Its owners had undertaken a $1 million overhaul ($32 million in today's dollars) that included rotating the entire track and its stands 30 degrees (so spectators would no longer be blinded by afternoon sun), and the oval was elongated from one mile to its current nine furlongs. An inside turf track was seeded (but not used) that season, and within that oval was the steeplechase course “with its liverpools and hurdles,” according to a June 1, 1902, write-up in the New York Times.

“The new track is built on scientific principles,” the Times gushed. “It has a mile shoot at the west and a seven-eighth-mile shoot at the south-west end. It always proved awkward starting horses on the curves of the old track, and these new shoots will remedy the difficulty experienced last year.”

Yes, America's newspaper of record actually called them “shoots,” not “chutes.”

On opening day, Aug. 4, 1902, it took five full minutes to get a field of 14 lined up (the starting gate had yet to be invented), and Vincennes stormed from off the pace to win the first-ever mile chute race at Saratoga.

If Saratoga's oddly configured mile races were considered problematic during the next 70 years, those complaints are almost entirely absent from surviving archived news reports.

Then again, the racing press for most of the 20th Century was collectively reluctant to criticize decisions by racetrack managements. Plus, back then there were no internet forums or social media platforms on which horseplayers could air constant, daily gripes. It's possible those races were indeed heavily biased in terms of running style or post positions. But any bettor keen enough to notice probably kept quiet and used that knowledge to cash tickets.

Fast-forward to '92. As Joseph Durso wrote in his opening-day piece for the Times, “For the last 22 years, Saratoga has omitted any one-mile [dirt] races…. The problem was solved by widening the first turn so that the starting gate could be placed on the far outside of the track, aiming the horses across the curve of the turn in something resembling a straightaway. But the configuration still seemed strange.”

As the field paraded in front of the stands for the revival of main-track miles, jockey Julie Krone made eye contact with trainer Scotty Schulhofer and owner Tommy Valando in a clubhouse box.

“She nodded toward the gate, patted the No. 5 [saddle towel] and shrugged,” Durso wrote. “She was fifth in a field of five, and she was saying, in effect: 'I start in right field.'”

As Durso pointed out, Krone finished in right field too, fourth behind a wire-to-wire favorite from post two.

The very next race on the card was also a dirt mile, and it too was wired, from post one. The trend continued into the weekend, with the first four races on that 1 1/2-turn configuration won by speed-centric horses from inner posts.

But shortly thereafter, the trend regressed toward the mean. By the end of the meet, after 25 main-track miles at the Spa, five were won in gate-to-wire fashion, nine by horses dueling or forcing the pace, three by midpack stalkers, and eight by deep closers.

Considering that speed is the prevailing winning style in American dirt racing, a split of 14 on-the-pace winners versus 11 who closed from at least midpack hardly rates as a glaring bias.

It's a bit more complicated to parse performance based on post positions because most main-track miles that summer featured seven or fewer starters, meaning low-post horses simply made more starts than higher-drawn horses.

A number of those races were also either off-the-turfers and/or races run on wet tracks, which exacerbated scratches. Given those much shorter fields, it's no surprise that the three innermost posts combined for 15 victories.

But post four actually produced the most wins overall. The breakdown was post one (4), post two (6), post three (5) and post four (7), with posts five, six and nine accounting for one winner each. So post position stats aren't terribly indicative of a bias, either.

Still, racetrack perceptions die hard. This past weekend, an informal skim of opinions on Twitter and in online handicapping forums revealed what I would estimate to be a 3:2 ratio of “terrible idea” posts outnumbering “great idea” opinions on the revival of the Wilson Chute.

The late Marshall Cassidy, NYRA's erudite announcer between 1979 and 1990 (and a backup caller before and after those dates), weighed in on the idea of bringing back the Wilson Chute in a 2010 comment posting that lives on in the Brooklyn Backstretch blog.

“As to the desirability of a Mile Chute, the beauty of that option lies only in one's wish for comparison shopping,” Cassidy wrote. “Saratoga Race Course abounds in character and uniqueness. As well as lots of oak beams, glorious trees, dripping heat and the Saddling Bell, Saratoga has no Mile races on the dirt. And that is good. My experiences with the Wilson Chute are best described as the Impossible Challenge in that I couldn't see the start from the Announcer Booth (neither could the Racing Form's chart caller!).

“As for the jockeys and racing officials, Wilson Chute starts carried the field diagonally over the crown of the dirt course with an immediate left turn inside the first 12 seconds. By the time they all straightened for the backstretch run, half the field was liable to and for injury or inquiry…” Cassidy wrote.

“As interesting an addition to the wagering menu as Mile-on-the-dirt at Saratoga might be, rest assured there are none now for practical reasons,” Cassidy summed up.

That opinion was penned a dozen years ago. It will now be the job of Glen Kozak, NYRA's senior vice president of operations and capital projects, to instill practicality where Cassidy and others have perceived it does not exist.

Speaking Jan. 14 at a meeting of NYRA's Franchise Oversight Board that granted the budgeting for the Wilson Chute and other projects, Kozak expressed confidence that by moving back the outside of the first-turn fence by up to nine feet, being able to get a full-sized starting gate into the chute, using newer designs of portable rails, and by tweaking the angle of where the chute meshes with the turn, safe and fair main-track miles will be achievable at the Spa this summer.

And if not, NYRA can always mull the concept over for another 30 years before trying it again in 2052.

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When considering those winning trips, a share of the credit must, of course, go to the jockey's agents who booked the mounts for their riders. An agent knows a good ride when they see it.

With 37 years of Breeders' Cup races to draw from, we polled six jockey's agents to get their picks for the greatest riding effort in Breeders' Cup history. The answers cast a wide net from personal victories, to betting scores, to rooting for childhood heroes.

Doug Bredar

“For obvious reasons, it would be Gun Runner in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. I'm still surprised that Arrogate went off as the favorite. The bettors thought that Gun Runner would have issues going a mile and a quarter, but the connections felt otherwise. Arrogate had beaten him a couple of times, and it was not only an incredible thrill watching Florent Geroux win the race, but redemption for the way he did it. The fractions were 22.4, 46.1, 1:10.2 and 1:35. He went wire-to-wire and I thought it was an exceptional ride. Very fond memories of a special race.”

John Herbstreit

“Arazi and Zenyatta are the most impressive horse races I've seen. Even when Zenyatta ran second, she was impressive. Alysheba and Personal Ensign are my favorite wins. My favorite ride was Pat Day on Wild Again in the 1984 Classic.”

Ron Ebanks

“Randy Romero on Personal Ensign in the mud getting up the last jump to nail Gary Stevens on Winning Colors (1988 Distaff). He was my idol as a kid and I couldn't have been more happy and proud of him.”

Jimmy McNerney

“Pat Valenzuela aboard Fraise in the 1992 Turf stands out the most. It was the first Breeders' Cup that I was old enough to 'legally' bet and I put $100 across the board on him. He came from last and P-Val made every right move weaving his way through the pack through the turn. When they straightened, he dove down and snuck through along the fence and nipped Sky Classic right on the money. There's no other path that he could've taken and had the same result.”

Mike Luider

“Gulch in the 1988 Sprint. Angel Cordero Jr. was masterful!”

Brian Beach

“Julie Krone's ride on Halfbridled in the 2003 Juvenile Fillies was one of the best I've seen. It's not always about weaving though traffic and getting up at the wire. It's sometimes about getting your horse to perform its best under adverse circumstances, and that's what happened in this race. They broke from the 14 post and Julie was able to get her filly to relax while going wide and still not expending too much energy until she could get a better position down the backstretch. By the time they turned for home Julie had Halfbridled in a perfect winning position with something left in the tank for the run to the wire.”

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In addition to honoring seven riders who suffered catastrophic or career-ending injuries, this year's fundraiser will honor firemen and police officers on the 20th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center towers. Last year's Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser, scheduled for Churchill Downs, was canceled due to COVID-19.

“This year's event will be special for several reasons,” said Barry Pearl, president of Jockeys and Jeans. “This promises to be a year of recovery for our nation, horse racing and its permanently disabled jockeys. Our event will present a unique opportunity to pay homage to racing's fallen heroes as well as our nation's 9/11 heroes. To do both at a single racing-related event is personally humbling and should make all in racing proud.”

Pearl said the organizing committee is working with several New York-based 9/11 organizations to have first responders attend and to be honored.

“We plan to make a donation to an appropriate charity that helps these brave men and women and the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

Scheduled to attend from the Hall of Fame jockey ranks are: Braulio Baeza, Bill Boland, Angel Cordero, Jr., Ramon Dominguez, Earlie Fires, Eddie Maple, Don Pierce, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Jose Santos, Alex Solis, Jorge Velasquez, Jacinto Vasquez, Bobby Ussery and Sandy Hawley.

Also scheduled to attend are jockeys who suffered career-ending injuries, among them Dennis Collins, Joe Hayes, Armando Rivera, Mike Straight, Ann Van Rosen, Sidney Underwood and Roger Blanco.

The event begins in Monmouth Park's Turf Club at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $75 and may be purchased at seatgeek.com/monmouth. There will be silent auctions of racing-related memorabilia and autograph sessions throughout the course of the event.

Founded in 2014 by five former jockeys, this year's Jockeys and Jeans event marks the seventh fundraiser held at various tracks across the country. This will be Monmouth Park's first time hosting the event. The all-volunteer association has raised more than $1.6 million to date for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

“While we had to cancel last year's fundraiser, the PDJF payments and the needs by this special group of former jockeys went on,” said Pearl. “We're hoping and praying we can make up some ground and break the $312,000 we raised at Canterbury Park in 2018,” said Pearl.

For more information, contact Pearl at jockeysandjeans@gmail.com or call (717) 503-0182. For additional questions contact Eddie Donnally at Edjockeysandjeans@gmail.com, or by calling (818) 653-3711.

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All of the proceeds from the event go directly to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

In addition to honoring seven riders who suffered catastrophic or career-ending injuries, this year's fundraiser will honor firemen and police officers on the 20th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center towers.

Last year's Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser, scheduled for Churchill Downs, was canceled due to COVID-19.

“This year's event will be special for several reasons,” said Barry Pearl, president of Jockeys and Jeans. “This promises to be a year of recovery for our nation, horse racing and its permanently disabled jockeys.

“Our event will present a unique opportunity to pay homage to racing's fallen heroes as well as our nation's 9/11 heroes. To do both at a single racing-related event is personally humbling and should make all in racing proud.”

Pearl said the organizing committee is working with several New York-based 9/11 organizations to have first responders attend and to be honored.

“We plan to make a donation to an appropriate charity that helps these brave men and women and the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

Scheduled to attend from the Hall of Fame jockey ranks are: Braulio Baeza, Bill Boland, Angel Cordero, Jr., Ramon Dominguez, Earlie Fires, Eddie Maple, Don Pierce, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Jose Santos, Alex Solis, Jorge Velasquez, Jacinto Vasquez, Bobby Ussery and Sandy Hawley.

Brumfield (1977), Krone (1987-89) and Perret (1974) are familiar to Monmouth Park fans for the jockey titles they won at the track during those years. Jorge Velasquez was Monmouth Park's leading rider in 1966 and 1967.

Also scheduled to attend are jockeys who suffered career-ending injuries, among them Dennis Collins, Joe Hayes, Armando Rivera, Mike Straight, Ann Van Rosen, Sidney Underwood and Roger Blanco.

The event begins in Monmouth Park's Turf Club at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $75 and may be purchased at seatgeek.com/monmouth. There will be silent auctions of racing-related memorabilia and autograph sessions throughout the course of the event.

Founded in 2014 by five former jockeys, this year's Jockeys and Jeans event marks the seventh fundraiser held at various tracks across the country. This will be Monmouth Park's first time hosting the event.

The all-volunteer association has raised more than $1.6 million to date for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

“While we had to cancel last year's fundraiser, the PDJF payments and the needs by this special group of former jockeys went on,” said Pearl. “We're hoping and praying we can make up some ground and break the $312,000 we raised at Canterbury Park in 2018,” said Pearl.

The post Jockeys And Jeans Fundraiser Benefitting PDJF Set For Sept. 11 At Monmouth Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“I come out for opening day every year,” said a Monmouth regular. “Rain or shine, I'm here. “It's a decent crowd considering the weather. We usually love to go to the picnic area. You can bring family and friends and enjoy a day of racing. It's just a wonderful place.”

Like all other racing venues across the nation, Monmouth eagerly welcomed the new season following a forgettable 2020 largely shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the excitement to be back, a major topic of discussion Friday was the recently announced restriction on whip use which was met by mixed reactions from local horsemen.

“It's the elephant in the room,” said trainer Kelly Breen, who won the day's feature with Mr. Amore Stable It's A Gamble (English Channel). “It's not what I envisioned in horse racing.”

Breen, who has been coming to the Jersey oval since 1986, believes the new rule was adopted without including the people it affects the most, the horsemen.

“I truly believe it's changing the whole dynamic of a race. After watching the first couple of races here, I still really don't know what to expect. I'm not sure what the jockey can do. The times and pace for the first two races were slow. I believe the use of the crop changes the way a race is run.”

Coming into this season's meeting, Breen was quick to point out a significant positive–purses. However, he admitted the pace at which the rule was enacted caught many unaware.

“We really have to adapt quickly,” he said. “But I'm learning. I'm trying to adapt like everyone else. That's the best we can do.”

Adding his own insight from a rider's perspective, Jose Ferrer appeared saddened by the latest change in whip rules.

“It's a shame,” he said. “I feel we can't really communicate with the horse as well.”

He continued, “Many people are still confused about the whip. They think it's a big piece of metal, and it hurts the animal. It's made out of rubber and it's cushioned inside. It's not like it was back in the day. It's plastic. They don't realize we spend every day and night with these animals. We love them, why would we want to hurt them?”

Ferrer was one of several jockeys who didn't carry a whip at all in any of the races Friday.

“I have been riding with the whip for 37 years, I'm worried I am going to get fired up and give them that wake-up call, like I am used to doing all these years,” he said. “But that wake-up call will cost me a suspension and a fine–$500 and a five-day suspension. The fine is harsh. It's so new for us, so we just have to get used to it. I don't want to risk making a mistake.”

Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone, who serves as an assistant to Phil Antonacci, offered a different perspective to the new whip rule facing her contemporary colleagues.

“It is nice to see the racing at Monmouth go so smooth and safe,” she said. “Jockeys look so focused and strong riding with their beautiful hand rides.”

Local horseman Pat McBurney also offered a slightly different take on the new season and its changes.

“I'm always happy to be back at Monmouth Park, and the lessening of the COVID restrictions should make for a good season,” he said. “The major controversy that everyone is talking about is the new whip rule. Every State has a whip rule, it's just our racing commissioner just happened to come up with the strictest whip rule. Having spoken to many of the jockeys before we even took entries, most of them said they'll give it a try, and if they have a problem, I'm sure the Racing Commission and the horsemen will be willing to sit down and talk about it. The first few races looked good finishing, so we just have to see how it progresses.”

“The morning of entries, I was with Jose Ferrer and a bunch of other jockeys and we spoke to the Stewards,” he continued. “They laid out what would be acceptable. They said they wouldn't just slap a fine on them and would talk to them after a race to see why they used a whip if it comes to that. It looks like everyone is working together to see how this is going to work out.”

And while most were happy to return to the seaside oval following a tough year, one face was noticeably missing from this season's new season at Monmouth.

“John Forbes was such fixture at Monmouth,” McBurney admitted. “Especially for me, I'm used to just picking up the phone and talking to him and bouncing ideas off of him. If I had a problem with a racehorse or with an owner, without having him to talk about it has been a little bit difficult. He's very missed.”

However, despite all the recent changes causing a stir at the moment, the things that brings the fans back season after season remains unchanged.

“I love everything about Monmouth, the architecture, the feel of it,” summed up a Monmouth racegoer. “The feeling you get when you walk in the gates. That sense of excitement is palpable. It's just a great get together.”

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Now, as they head back north to Monmouth for the summer, they are adding Hall of Famer Julie Krone to their team.

Krone is scheduled to arrive at Monmouth at the end of April.

“I'm very grateful to both Philip and Jimmy for the opportunity and am looking forward to getting to know the horses,” she said.

Antonacci, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Darley Flying Start program, grew up in a family that bred and raced Standardbreds at the highest level. Their renowned stable included the trotter Moni Maker, a mare trained by Takter, that retired as the richest female Standardbred in history, with $5,589,256 in lifetime earnings. As part of it's 1,000-acre breeding and training operation in Connecticut, the Antonacci family began dabbling in Thoroughbreds. It has long been the younger Antonacci's desire to be a trainer.

Takter, an international legend in the Standardbred business, began training for Antonacci's family in 1984. Retiring as a Standardbred trainer in 2016, he was looking for new challenges in life and now, as an adviser to Antonacci, Takter is applying his 40 years of conditioning experience and success with Standardbreds to Thoroughbreds.

“Simply put, Jimmy Takter is one of the great horsemen in the world,” Antonacci told the TDN in September, 2020. “He has a completely unique connection with the horses and his stats speak for themselves. Four Hambletonians, six Hambletonian Oaks and 34 Breeders Crowns, those are unfathomable statistics. He is one of those guys who, even though he was so successful every year, was always looking to make changes or modify something that would give him an advantage moving forward. He is a fast learner and is someone who can adapt.”

“We try to do things a little bit different without trying to reinvent the wheel,” Antonacci said of the new Lindy Farms partnership. “Obviously, everybody's been doing their own individual things for years and they are very successful at the highest level. So, we're just trying to find what works for us. Jimmy is a big believer, as am I, in interval training. We're trying to get horses to build a high cardio rate, and then recover, and then build back up again without putting too much stress on them.”

He continued, “So with our babies, we do interval training. It comes with plenty of rest, and not going too fast and letting them recover. So far, they've all taken to training very well and enjoy it. Everybody seems to be thriving off of it.  After every training they seem to grow and muscle up more.”

Added Takter, “The reason why I like interval training is that you're building up the body a little stronger. I'd like to try to get a little bit more bone on the horses and get a little bit more solid foundation on the base. If they get a few months of that, then I think they can carry speed longer and hopefully stay sounder.”

In between the days of training, their pupils receive days of rest and turn out.

“These babies have their whole life to be stressed out in a racehorse environment,” said Antonacci. “We don't really want to replicate that type of environment in the early process as they're growing and developing. So, they spend plenty of time out in the paddock together. We pair them up in twos and they spend their off days, all day nearly, turned out in the paddock, enjoying themselves and being horses.”

With their first winter in Florida coming to an end, Antonacci and Takter have been able to see the fruits of their efforts, both in terms of the team they are building and their horses in training. Currently, there are 15 horses in the stable–eight of which are well-bred 2-year-olds.

“It's challenging,” Takter admitted. “It is way different than training a Standardbred. You never know what you will be facing every day, but I think for the last month I've been really, really happy with how things can come together. I think we finally found the right path, what we want to do with these horses. We went in very easy and very kind to them. Now the last month here they're coming along perfectly.”

“You know, with any new business or new team forming there is going to be ups and downs,” said Antonacci. “It's been a lot more ups than downs and I'm very happy with the people I have around me. The horses are doing great, so it's very exciting. Our team is really strong and everybody looks forward to coming to work every day. We're very happy with the horses and how they're progressing.”

“Our horse Advanced Strategy (Karakontie {Jpn}), who we acquired off Jim Jerkens, raced at Gulfstream [in first start for Lindy Farms]. He finished third. He raced very well. I give a lot of credit to Jim for sending him in such great order. He's a really honest horse and will be a fun New York-bred to have this summer to race around Belmont and Saratoga.”

In his next start last Saturday, the 4-year-old sailed to victory in an optional claimer at Gulfstream, giving Antonacci his first trip to the winner's circle as a trainer.

Krone's connection to the Antonacci family and Takter started with a big win. In 2000, when it came time to retire Moni Maker, Takter wanted to do it in an extra special way.

“When we had Moni Maker, the richest female Standardbred ever, she won a $500,000 race in her final start, but we wanted to do something a little bit more, you know, a little special for her when she did retire,” said Takter. “Julie Krone had just come off retirement and was getting inducted in the Hall of Fame. It was a nice tribute to bring a famous woman like her to ride Moni Maker in what we call Monte. It's riding on the saddle at the trot. Then, of course, she broke the world record. Philip kept in contact with her and about three weeks ago, we decided we would go to Monmouth Park and Julie said, `I want to be with you guys.' So I look forward to that day. She's such a great horsewoman and we can learn a lot from her.”

“Julie's got so much knowledge and she's really just a wealth of information,” said Antonacci. “I'm very, very excited to bring her along. And I think she's going to contribute to the team greatly. And, you know, she's got such a winning personality and is the type of person that you love to have around the farm. She makes everybody feel good and makes everybody feel happy.”

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Peterson will join one of the world's most competitive jockey colonies for the 18-day meet at the Big A that commences Friday, Nov. 6 and runs through Dec. 6, offering 29 stakes including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 million in purse money.

This year started with Peterson as an apprentice jockey with 15 career wins to her credit and no mounts until July because of COVID-19-related postponements of living racing around the country. But Peterson made up for lost time, registering 42 wins during the summer at Monmouth Park, registering the meet's second-highest mark behind longtime New Jersey-circuit veteran Paco Lopez's 51 victories.

The 28-year-old Peterson's success resulted in her losing her bug and apprentice status but gained her notice from the racing community, especially after she notched her first stakes win aboard Share the Ride in the Mr. Prospector on September 12.

Peterson will now head to New York armed with both recent success and with the support of someone who knows exactly what it's like to try and establish herself in a New York jockey's room full of Eclipse Award champions and Grade 1-winners, as Hall of Famer Julie Krone is her agent.

“I think now, I've improved navigating races,” Peterson said. “Before, I was on a lot of longshots, so you can't really use them to go through holes or position them where you want because you just don't have enough horse underneath you. Now that I get to ride live horses, I can maneuver a race much better, and Julie's been a great teacher for that. It's been cool to be able to think through a race more and use those tactics.”

Peterson's road to the Big Apple won't be as far – literally and figuratively – as her move from her native California to the Jersey Shore to compete at Monmouth. Last year, Peterson completed her veterinary studies at U.C. Davis. The well-earned title of doctor was the culmination of a varied athletic and educational path that started in Roseville, California, where Peterson rode horses in the English style and Dressage. She attended high school in Oakmont, where she set a school record as a pole vaulter, and attended college at the University of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo while earning a degree in animal science before heading to medical school, where she received U.C. Davis' Zoetis Equine Scholarship and secured an externship in Japan, allowing her to tour training centers, rehab facilities and thoroughbred farms while also attending the Nippon Derby.

Presented with the opportunity to start her post-doctorate medical career, Peterson was drawn back to race riding, which started in 2018 with 10 wins in 144 starts riding all across California, racking up victories at Golden Gate, Fresno, Oak Tree At Pleasanton, while also riding in a pair of races at Del Mar.

“I like to do things unconventionally in general and be different and whatever you're passionate about, you should pursue that,” Peterson said. “I don't regret becoming a veterinarian [and delaying her racing career] because I'm also passionate about that and sometimes people think you should focus on one thing in life, but I think I benefit from having multiple things going on in my life, and they complement each other.

“In vet school, I had a lot of people who were giving me a hard time about trying to do both, but now that I've been able to achieve it, it means a lot more that my story can be spread and I can encourage other people, because it's always easy to find people who will doubt you,” she added.

After five wins in 96 starts last year, Peterson came to the East Coast this year and competed for a riding crown on a major circuit.

“It's a nice surprise; in my career so far, I've just seen an open door and keep pursuing it,” Peterson said. “I thought I wouldn't be a jockey after vet school and do veterinary medicine full-time, but I kept seeing opportunities and having people believe in me, so I tried going full time as a jockey and then I met Julie Krone and had a successful meet, so that's been the story of my jockey career. Just having that support system is what keeps me going, and now I'm all-in.”
Peterson said her educational background has also proved beneficial on the track itself.

“Just having that veterinary knowledge and being able to have those conversations with trainers and owners, I think they do appreciate that,” Peterson said. “The more you work on horses, on the ground or on their back, the more in-tune you are with them. They are just such complex animals. It's great to be able to understand what they are going through and talk about rehabilitation procedures and be able to offer different ideas and approaches to trainers with integrated medicines. It's been cool to see that develop.”

Krone can impart lessons on following an unconventional path to success after a trailblazing career that saw her achieve many milestones for female jockeys. The Benton Harbor, Michigan native was the first woman to win an American Classic when she piloted Colonial Affair to a win in the 1993 Belmont Stakes and 10 years later was the first woman to win a Breeders' Cup race aboard Halfbridled in the Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.

A 2000 Hall of Fame inductee, Krone was successful across many tracks but especially in the Metropolitan area, winning riding titles at Monmouth from 1987-89 before becoming the first woman to win five races in one day at a New York track. Overall, Krone won riding titles at Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, Atlantic City and the Meadowlands and said she's hoping Peterson could eventually follow a similar trajectory.

“We're so excited to be in this jockey colony and to be in New York, it's perfect for us and we're really looking forward to the fall meet,” Krone said. “I've been on the backside of Belmont every morning and the future is exciting and hopefully we can continue that success at Aqueduct that we had at Monmouth.”

Krone, who won 3,704 career races, said handling the elements at the Big A can be challenging but soon becomes just part of what any jockey needs to handle to be successful.

“You'd think someone from Northern California wouldn't want to deal with the snow and cold like that,” Krone said with a laugh. “But we were talking to [fellow Hall of Famer] Ramon Dominguez the other day about how long it took him to get used to it. You do get used to it fast and with the purses being so big at Aqueduct and the racing being so good, you don't even think about the weather because you're paying attention to other stuff.”

Like Peterson, Krone started her career with successful stints on other circuits before coming to New York. Krone won more than 100 races every year from 1981-86 before becoming a regular at Aqueduct in 1987, where she won 15 races that year, including the Grade 2 Gallant Fox with Soar to the Stars.

Krone said Peterson has developed an acute ability to read a race and make a winning move.

“She has a great understanding of how a race unfolds and she gets along with every horse, regardless of their personalities, if they are nervous fillies or strong colts,” Krone said. “She gets along with every horse. We talked about different race scenarios and within one race, she applies what she learns. She's a fast learner and has a great work ethic and we're going into this meet with [momentum], for sure.

“She's so mentally tough,” she added. “One time she fell at the quarter-pole, but she was OK and the horse was OK, and she came back and won the next two races. I said, 'she's so tough.' I see a lot of qualities I had as a jockey. People really like her and she never makes the same mistake twice. She's sharp and heads up. Everyone enjoys her company, but she's tough as nails and so consistent. She loves riding racehorses and loves being at the track.”

Peterson said she's hoping to follow a path Krone blazed and said having an increased support system has made a huge difference as she's progressed in her career.

“Having her believe that I can make this step now, it's so important,” Peterson said. “I asked her if she thought we were ready, and she said this is how you make that step; you go there in the winter and get recognized there and if it goes well, you can transition into riding there in the spring and summer.

“I think whenever you have to face elements and less ideal situations, it just makes you mentally tougher,” she added. “I like pushing myself outside my comfort zone. If you asked me months before if I could ride in a facemask in July on the East Coast where it's humid, I didn't think I'd be capable of that riding 12 races on a card. But I did it quite a few weekends and never had a problem. As long as you stay present in your mindset and focus on what you can control; it's all about mental training. Just buckle down and do the best you can.”

Peterson will enter a room that counts the winners of the last seven Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey as regulars in New York, with brothers Jose and Irad Ortiz, Jr. joining Hall of Famer Javier Castellano. Other decorated riders who are expected to square off against Peterson during the Aqueduct meet are jockeys such as Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Manny Franco, who has won NYRA's year-end riding title two years in a row, as well as veterans such as Jose Lezcano, Junior Alvarado and Kendrick Carmouche among others.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to step into the NYRA circuit – and one of the reasons I went to the Southern California circuit – was to challenge myself,” she said. “It didn't work out great that time [California] because I didn't have much momentum going into it and didn't have an agent. But the circumstances have changed for me and I improved as a jockey, and now I have a shot and I'm around people who make me that much better. When I'm competing amongst the best, it pushes me that much harder. I know I'll learn so much that way.”

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Jockeys joining the colony need to test negative for COVID in New York twice the week leading up to the meet, and to continue to follow strict protocols thereafter.

Peterson, 28, has made a splash this summer on the Jersey Shore, for both on and off-track reasons. She rode 42 winners at the summer meet, including two four-win days, and finished just off the pace of perennial leading jockey Paco Lopez. Her agent is former jockey Julie Krone, stepping into a new career after her Hall of Fame worthy riding career. Additionally, Peterson graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in veterinary medicine in 2019, making her arguably the best-educated jockey in history.

Peterson had originally considered going to Tampa for the winter, she said, but a strong showing after she lost her bug midway through the Monmouth meet led her to reconsider.

“We want to be where the top trainers and riders are,” said Peterson. “We had a really good meet at Monmouth and we feel the next step is to go to New York. Julie had success there, and good contacts for people, and there is a lot of respect for Julie Krone there.”

“I always wanted to get to New York and this opportunity presented itself, so it seems like the opportune time.”

Krone, who rode in New York from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, said that the decision was a little bit of reading the tea leaves.

“When opportunities show themselves and you think you’re going another direction, but every single thing points you a different way, you have to listen to that,” said Krone. “We came off an amazing, strong Monmouth meet riding for a lot of the Monmouth-based trainers, having two four-win days and winning a stakes race,” she said. “Ferrin is so strong and so focused and she has improved so much.”

Krone said she had caught the eye of no less a judge than Ramon Dominguez.

“I was talking to Ramon last night,” Krone said. “He watches races all the time, and he was saying he has been watching her and that she has improved so much over the summer and she looks so good on a horse. When you see her ride, you say, `wow, she is going to make it and is going to be along the lines of a Julie Krone or Rosie Napravnik’. Ramon said, `she is ready to go to Aqueduct for the fall and winter after a summer like that.'”

“Having ridden at Aqueduct, I think the inner track will suit her,” Krone concluded. “She’s good at saving ground, and at having a horse left for the stretch run.”

Said Peterson, “I’m really looking forward to being around top trainers and high-quality horses. We want to compete with the best.”

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