A much-loved sport all around the globe, horse racing has been a male-dominated sport since the beginning. It’s estimated that only around 12% of jockeys are female – this remains a fact to this day despite scientific findings that women can jockey just as well as men.
While there are definitely fewer female jockeys in action on the race track than their male counterparts, there have certainly been plenty of inspiring female horse racers who have managed to impress and garner many accolades and achievements over the years, much to the delight of online sports betting enthusiasts! Here is a quick look at just a handful of these talented, inspirational women and how they managed to make horse racing history.
Hayley Turner
Most racing experts will agree that England’s Hayley Turner is the most successful and famous female jockey of all time. Born in 1983, this talented woman boasts an extensive and fruitful career comprising over 1,500 wins in flat races. She competes primarily in flat racing and holds the record for being the first female ever to ride 100 UK flat race winners in a single calendar year. Despite announcing her retirement in 2018, Hayley couldn’t keep her competitive streak in check for too long! She has since returned to the sport and has gone on to snag two winners at Royal Ascot, making her a favorite horse racing pick.
Julie Krone
Julie Krone is an American horse racer born in 1963 and is known for being the most successful female jockey in US history. She boasts a total of $90,126,584 in earnings over the course of her career, as well as a staggering 3,700 wins, which drew attention in terms of horse racing betting. Born and raised in Michigan, Julie became the first female to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, as well as the first female horse racer to win a Breeders’ Cup race. Julie retired from her career as a professional jockey in 1999 but returned to the sport in 2002 for a short time before sustaining injuries and eventually retiring permanently in 2004.
Rosie Napravnik
Inspired by Julie Krone’s dedication and achievements, Rosie Napravnik is another world-renowned female Thoroughbred jockey. She was born in the USA in 1988. A New Jersey native, Rosie spent her childhood surrounded by horses and horse riding due to her mother operating a training stable and her father being a farrier. Over the course of her career, Rosie racked up earnings of $71,426,717 and 1,877 wins. She retired in 2014 following the announcement of her pregnancy and has yet to return to competitive racing, now focusing much of her time on training racehorses instead.
Nina Carberry
An Irish National Hunt jockey born in 1984, Nina Carberry is another female horse racer who comes from a family with deep roots in the horse-riding industry. Her father was champion jockey Tommy Carberry, who played a crucial role in shaping Nina’s passion, technique, and career. Her two brothers have also enjoyed successful careers as jockeys in Ireland. Nina has an impressive 417 wins to her name and an earnings total of $5,978,178. She’s also celebrated for racking up the most wins as a female National Hunt rider in the history of the event. Nina announced her retirement in 2018 and spends most of her time with her family raising her daughter, Rosie, born in 2017.
Michelle Payne
Michelle Payne is an Australian jockey born in 1985 who currently holds the title of being the first and only woman horse racer to win the Melbourne Cup. She grew up with ambitions to become a successful female jockey and certainly achieved the goals she set for herself, having been awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia in light of her many achievements on the track. Michelle Payne has over 760 wins and managed to earn a total of $6,200,000 in prize money from her win at the 2015 Melbourne Cup alone.
Unfortunately, in 2017, Michelle made horse racing news when she stepped down from the sport after testing positive for the banned appetite suppressant known as phentermine. Despite this, she continues to be a staunch supporter of other women in the field and now works as a motivational speaker at various industry-related conferences across Australia.
Horse racing betting at BetMGM
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