By John Spinelli
OCEANPORT – May 4 saw the running of the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. That race delivered on all the excitement, with Mystic Dan edging out Sierra Leone and Forever Young by a nose in the first three-way photo finish since 1947.
As thrilling as it was, the sport of horse racing is still dealing with a harsh reality check; its popularity is on the decline. According to The Jockey Club, an organization dedicated to improving Thoroughbred breeding and racing, attendance at horse races in the U.S. has declined by 30% since 2000 and race courses across the nation continue to close. Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York, which opened in 1894, is set to close its gates once upgrades are made to Belmont Park. In 1989, there were more than 74,000 horse races in the United States; in 2022, there were only 33,453. Despite the negative news, horse racing is still thriving in some areas and big races are more popular than ever. At Monmouth Park, which hosts the $1,000,000 Haskell Stakes every July, the Sport of Kings is now one of the most inclusive sporting careers in the United States, offering opportunities for women, young people and minority groups.
Last season in Oceanport, the racetrack hosted three full-time female jockeys: Madison Olver, Maddie Rowland and Melissa Iorio.
At only 21 and 24, respectively, jockeys Rowland and Olver have already accomplished athletic achievements far beyond their ages.
Olver was the leading female jockey at Monmouth Park for the 2023 season. Last year she won 60 races and had 120 top-three finishes, quite an accomplishment for a new jockey. But last season was just the beginning. On April 2 she made history by winning her first Stakes race at Aqueduct, becoming the first apprentice jockey on record with New York Racing Association to win a Stakes race. She discussed how emotional it was to cross the finish line on Super Chow and mark such a milestone.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said, noting the race was even more special because she rode for Jorge Delgado, a Monmouth Park trainer who she said “believed in her when many others didn’t.”
“I have chills talking about Super Chow. That victory is a testament to Delgado and the owners, to who they are as people. I’ve made mistakes as a new jockey, but they’ve continued to support me and understand that I’m learning,” she said.
Olver also said she gets support from her fans, one of the most fulfilling parts of being a jockey.
“Here especially at Monmouth, it’s a great atmosphere,” Olver said. “There’s a lot of young kids that are very excited to be here with family, a lot of people here who root for female jockeys and trainers. Families, especially with young girls, have reached out to me saying I’ve inspired their children, and it means a lot.”
However, Olver said there are some challenges to being a young female jockey.
“Trainers and owners are going to want the physically strongest rider on their horse and they tend to defer to men,” she said.
“I’ve felt you must prove that you can ride as strong as the guys can because of that perception. Thankfully, there have been plenty of people who have been willing to give me a shot on those same horses.”
Although intending to go to law school after graduating from Colorado State University in 2021, Olver decided to pursue her childhood dream instead.
“Horse racing has given me so many opportunities and asked nothing in return. I’ve been able to travel the world and meet so many new people because of it,” she said. “The feeling you get riding a racehorse, there’s no other better feeling I could describe.”
Olver’s close friend Rowland was raised in Maryland and learned about Monmouth Park through her friend and Monmouth Beach native Grace Evelyn, an assistant trainer for Jesse Cruz. Rowland already has an impressive résumé. She was the second-leading female jockey at Monmouth last year. On May 4 she won at Parx riding Classy Miss and has already won six claiming races in 2024.
Iorio, a native New Jerseyan, has been one of the most consistent horsewomen at the track, starting 88 times in Oceanport. She was the third-winningest female jockey last year, behind Olver and Rowland. After graduating from Rutgers University and working for an advertising company, she decided she needed a career change in 2022. She began jockey training and said jockey agent Julie Krone, the first female jockey to win the Triple Crown, helped her to get better with constructive criticism.
In two years, Iorio, who grew up with horses but never had the opportunity to race, has won at Tampa Bay Downs, Parx, and Monmouth Park. She already has 40 first-place wins this year and boasts over $1.3 million in career winnings.
Tom Luicci, Monmouth Park’s media director, said the racetrack has always been at the forefront of the sport’s trends, especially those involving women.
“Monmouth Park was one of the first major tracks to have a prominent female jockey thanks to the late John Forbes, a trainer who gave Julie Krone a chance,” Luicci said. “She won Monmouth Park’s riding title in 1987, 1988 and 1989. She is in the racing Hall of Fame now.”
Krone, along with veteran trainers like Kathleen O’Connell, continues to inspire the younger generation at Monmouth Park.
O’Connell, who spends the summer at Monmouth Park and the winter season at Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park, became the all-time leading female trainer in the United States in March with her 2,386th win; she currently has nearly 2,500 wins to her name.
“Horse racing is a sport that takes a lot of passion and devotion, and sometimes it is hard to relay that to people,” O’Connell said during a recent interview with The Two River Times. “The excitement of winning a race and being involved in the sport is an unbelievable experience.”
O’Connell said the horse racing culture in Oceanport is very special to her. “Monmouth Park always has seemed like a very friendly home track to me. The management seems to be horse-orientated and they have always taken very good care of my owners, which is highly important to me,” she said.
But it’s not just the Monmouth Park staff who contribute to her enjoyment of the sport.
“The restaurants and people around the surrounding area of the track are so friendly to the racing population and we all have enjoyed the whole experience being in this area over the years,” O’Connell said.
Last year was a banner one for female trainers at Monmouth Park; Lindsay Schultz, Kathleen DeMasi, Elizabeth Dobles, Faith Wilson, Kim Einhorn, Joan Milne and Patricia Farro all contributed to wins last season and all seek to make a difference in 2024.
The article originally appeared in the May 16 – May 22, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
