Jockey Rosie Napravnik closed out a career-best season on December 31,
securing the highest spot ever for a female jockey on the North American leader
board in 2012.
Finishing the year with $12,451,713 in purse earnings, with 193 wins, 191
seconds and 167 thirds from 1200 starts, Napravnik finished eighth nationally
among jockeys in the year-end standings. Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone set the
record in 1988 when she finished the year with a ninth-place finish. She
finished ninth again in 1992 and the record stood for the past 20 years.
Napravnik won her second consecutive meet title at Fair Grounds Race Course
in March and made history in May when she captured the coveted Kentucky Oaks,
becoming the first female rider in the race’s 138-year history to do so. She won
the race aboard the aptly named filly Believe You Can, bringing home the garland
of lilies for trainer Larry Jones and owner and former Kentucky Governor
Brereton Jones.
“It is pretty obvious that Rosie lays down the numbers,” Krone said. “What
fun it has been to watch her year unfold. She is in new territory — being one
of the top 10 jockeys in the U.S.A. My heart gets to racing at the thought of
her winning the (Kentucky) Derby. I live vicariously through many of her racing
moments, then the others, I just enjoy.
“Her tactical savvy in a race is as good as they come. Her gift of the feel
or touch for the Thoroughbred is remarkable. As a rider one of the best
compliments I got in the 1980s was a valet that said, ‘you look like a man on a
horse.’ This has been said of Rosie many times as well. Her talents are only
second to her determination. I suspect this won’t be her last visit to the top
10 list. She has all the qualities of a champion.”
Napravnik rode Shanghai Bobby, the presumptive champion two-year-old male, to
five straight victories for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Starlight Racing.
The colt’s fifth win in as many starts came in the Breeders Cup Juvenile, a
victory that marked him as the early favorite for this year’s Kentucky Derby.
“Rosie rides as good as any male jockey out there,” said Pletcher, who
finished the year as North America’s leading trainer. “She’s a fierce competitor
and wants to win every time she goes out to the track. She’s a great
communicator and always does her best to put her horses in a spot to win.”
“This year has been unbelievable,” Napravnik said. “I’m very grateful to my
supporters and to all of the people who have given me the opportunities to get
to this level. I have continued to learn and have grown as a rider and I thrive
on the challenges that come from competing against the best in the game. I’ve
had the chance to work with some of the best horsemen in the business and I feel
privileged to have ridden some incredibly talented horses in 2012. I’m excitedly
looking forward to what’s to come in the New Year!”
Napravnik is currently leading the 2012-13 Fair Grounds meet with 33 wins.
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com