The headline “Horses Don’t Care if the Jockey’s a Woman” was seen at the top of a New York Times article written by Melissa Hoppert about the life of a female jockeys Rosie Napravnik, who is fourth in wins in the 2013 North American standings, and Julie Krone, who is the only woman to win a Triple Crown race in 1993 when she charged to the lead in the Belmont homestretch aboard Colonial Affair.
Napravnik, finishing sixth aboard the filly Unlimited Budget in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 8 became the first woman to ride in all three Triple Crown races in the same year. In 2012, she was the first woman to win the Kentucky Oaks and the second to win a Breeders’ Cup race (Krone was the first in 2003.)
In last month’s Kentucky Derby, Napravnik ran fifth aboard Mylute, the highest a woman has placed in the Derby, improving on her ninth-place finish in 2011. She is one of six women to have ridden in the Derby.
Read the New York Times article to learn more about Napravnik’s rise in the male-dominated sport.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl Heinz-Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Mr. Heinz-Huba.