In kingdom of jockeys it’s still a man’s world

In the 25 years since Julie Krone won the 1993 Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair, there have been 74 runnings of the Triple Crown classics, with a 75th coming up Saturday when the Belmont Stakes is run for the 150th time.

The 74 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont winners during that period were ridden by 27 different jockeys. The riders hailed from Texas, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Idaho, and Colorado, not to mention three different Mexican states and a Canadian province, along with Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.

They have been as young as 18 and as old as 50, one-hit wonders and multiple winners, all of them offering an array of personal stories that are by turns compelling and brave. They also have all been men.

There should be no surprise. According to data provided by the Jockeys’ Guild, of the organization’s 1,057 members, only 87 are females, or about 8 percent.

“It has been as high as 9 percent,” said Jennifer Ray, in charge of guild membership. “And I think the 8 percent is pretty accurate nationally as well.”

The numbers dictate the reality. Little wonder then, that such a small segment of a given population would have produced only four women that have ridden in a Triple Crown race during the quarter-century since Colonial Affair. Krone got a couple more chances, finishing second in the 1995 Belmont with Star Standard, and Rosie Napravnik had eight classic mounts before her retirement, including a third in the Preakness aboard Mylute. Rosemary Homeister and Andrea Seefeldt each had one turn in the classic spotlight.

I allowed myself to ponder the meaning of such an absence of women in a profession supposedly open to all genders the other day while polishing the trophy my wife received for winning the 1993 Belmont.

Krone’s victory in the Belmont has informed much of the conversation about professional women jockeys through the ensuing years. But, from a simple standpoint of opportunity, achieving such a goal remains a longshot of towering proportions. Simply penetrating the national statistics is daunting enough. Through last weekend’s racing, only one woman, Louisiana’s Ashley Broussard, could be found among the top 100 riders in winners (she was 90th) or purses (she was 95th).

“A lot of people ask me if it’s tough to be a woman rider,” said Donna Barton Brothers, in a 1994 video shot at Turfway Park. “My answer to that is, I really don’t know. I’ve never been a man rider, so all I know is that it’s tough for everybody.”

Such a steely resolve has permeated throughout the ranks of the most successful women jockeys, from pioneers like Cathy Kusner and Diane Crump – who were forced to court to ride and were boycotted by male jockeys – to modern racing’s Napravnik, winner of two Breeders’ Cup events. Napravnik was significantly less impressed than the fawning media after her first Derby appearance in 2011 aboard Louisiana Derby winner Pants On Fire resulted in a ninthplace finish and a few forgettable souvenirs.

“I also got five long-stemmed red roses – Derby roses,” Napravnik said. “I ended up putting them on the dashboard of my car. Somebody said no, you should take them home and dry them. Don’t let them get wrecked. I mean, they’re ninthplace roses! What the heck do I want them for?”

There is no doubt women jockeys, being the exception to the male rule, make for headline news. Michelle Payne took the world’s racing press by storm three years ago when she won the Melbourne Cup on a horse that was 100-1. Still buzzing from the excitement, Payne had the poise to note that she retained the mount in spite of efforts to bounce her in favor of a guy.

Three women rode in the Grand National steeplechase this year, trying to become the first to win England’s most famous race. Vanessa Ryall, a graduate of the North American Racing Academy, won the 2017 Norwegian Derby last summer in a close photo. And just this week, French jockey Elaura Cieslik became a viral video sensation by winning a race at Salon de Provence with her saddle slipped completely beneath the belly of her horse.

French racing authorities, sensing that more women jockeys would be good for business, took the initiative last year to give female riders a two-kilo weight break (about four pounds) in races other than the top-tier events. The policy was derided by many riders in the international community, both male and female. But one season’s worth of data indicated a 165 percent increase in the number of winners ridden by women and double the rides, according to France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild. The incentive was deemed so successful that the weight allowance was cut back this season to 1.5 kilos for women in races on the flat.

“Fair or not fair, whether the male jockeys or female jockeys like it or don’t like it is irrelevant,” de Rothschild said. “The key point is, the biggest challenge the whole racing industry faces is the opportunity to attract more people, newcomers,

new generation, new people.”

A recent study in England added further fuel to the idea that the game is being underserved by the lack of women jockeys. The crunching of a season’s worth of results came to the conclusion that, given horses of equal ability, there was no difference in outcomes based on the gender of the rider. The study has led the British Horse Racing Authority to look at the French policy anew.

“We are proud that British racing is one of the few sports where men and women can compete on equal terms.” BHA chief executive Nick Rust said. “However, if female jockeys are not being given the same opportunities as the men, then this cannot be considered as equality.”

Whether or not U.S. racing will tiptoe down the same path in an effort to encourage more use of women jockeys remains an uncertainty. In most quarters it’s not even perceived as a problem.

“The biggest challenge is the lack of a central authority,” said Remi Bellocq, executive director of the North American Racing Academy. “Countries like France and England can require jockeys to go through training programs before they are licensed, and encourage their employment by the industry through policies like the women’s weight allowance.”

The bootstrap culture of American racing undoubtedly will resist any efforts to encourage owners and trainers to employ more women jockeys. The isolated stories always play best. Bellocq, the son of famed racing cartoonist Pierre “Peb” Bellocq and an accomplished cartoonist in his own right, hit the nail on the head with his reaction to the French weight break for women riders.

Published in The BloodHorse last year, Bellocq’s cartoon depicting two horses far afield of the pack were ridden by jockeys bestriding saddlecloths labeled “Napravnik” and “Krone.” The talk bubble above one of them read:

“Hey Rosie! I feel bad. You think we shoulda given those boys back there a head start?”