Rosi Rides for the Roses

Everything seems to be coming up roses for New Jersey native Rosie Napravnik.  You may have seen her profiled last night on 60 Minutes.   While women on horses have proven they can conquer the world as American-born Beezie Madden did this past weekend in Europe winning the prestigious FEI World Cup (the gold standard in showing jumping), women have not fared as well in the competitive world of horse racing at least not at the Triple Crown level.  But Rosie Napravnik seems destined for greatness even at the young age of 25.  My hunch is that eventually this young lady is going to be quite the legend despite what some of the men may think!

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Rosie is no novice, not by a long shot.  She finished ninth in the 2011 Derby and won the Kentucky Oaks last year, the Derby for the fillies.  She is on a roll too. In 2012 she bested the record for money earned in a single year by a female jockey, a record that had stood for 20 years.  She's been around horses her entire life, brought up in family that ran a stable, and her father is a farrier.  She and her sister, now a trainer on the track, mucked stalls to make ends meet.  Doesn't that sound familiar?

In 2006, her break-out year, she finished 31st in the national earnings title with 300 victories out of 1,465 mounts, earnings of $6,395,075 and was runner-up to Julien Leparoux for the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey that same year.

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She just looks good on horse!  In 2012, she finished 8th on the national earnings list for jockeys.  In 2012, she had a great year riding the top two-year-old, Shanghai Bobby who was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, wining the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the Champagne Stakes and the Hopeful Stakes before being sidelined with injury.  

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While Rosie won't get the ride on Shanghai Bobby who likely would have been a favorite for the Derby, she'll certainly be in the mix with Mylute, the runner-up in the Louisiana Derby.  Needless to say, Rosi will be in the roses sooner or later, at least that's my prediction. You go girl!  We will be routing for you on Saturday!

Rosi on Mylute earlier this week at Churchill Downs