Penn National shines the light on female jockey quartet

Another apprentice rider enjoying success this year is

20-year-old Natasha Coddington, a Seattle, Washington,-native who currently sits 13th

in the yearly Penn National standings with 22 wins.

Her uncle, John Heath, was a professional jockey, and she

credits him for sparking her interest in racing.

"When I was about 15, he put me on a horse and that was the

end of the story -- I just fell in love with it," Coddington explained. "From there

he taught me how to break babies, and he guided me through my career so far to

get to here."

Coddington has caught the eye of Penn National's leading

trainer John Locke, who often uses her on his horses.

"Horses seem to run for her," Locke noted. "She's not afraid

of anything, which is very important because horses pick up on when a rider is

worried or afraid. Some of the owners actually request her to ride their horses,

which is kind of unusual since owners often want more experienced riders."

The veteran of the strong Penn National female rider

contingent is Erika Strunk-Micklos, currently 17th in the standings with 15

wins.

With a career that started in 2005, the 36-year-old native

of Brookville, Pennsylvania, is one of the most respected jockeys at Penn National and

serves as a terrific role model for the younger female riders.

"I do try and give them advice about some of the

difficulties and some things that can make your business a little bit easier,"

said Strunk-Micklos, who has a teaching degree in biology. "I try to encourage

them, more than anything."

Strunk-Micklos got a later start than many riders, bringing

a homebred to the racetrack nine years ago and falling in love with the sport.

"I think a lot of women start later," Strunk-Micklos said.

"We have some young girls right now, but in my contact with other female riders,

a lot of us have horse backgrounds but don't necessarily come from the

racetrack."

New on the Penn National scene is 21-year-old apprentice

rider Chelsey Keiser, who started riding professionally this year and shows six

wins from 34 starts at Penn National. She finished fourth at the recently

concluded Colonial Downs meet with 14 wins, leading all apprentice riders.

Growing up in North Star, Ohio, Keiser's parents were both

involved in racing -- her mom, Deb, as a trainer and her father, Mike, as a farrier.

She galloped horses on their farm and two years ago she gained experience at the

two-year-old sales in Ocala, Florida. While there, she met Eddie Warner, assistant

trainer to Hugh McMahon, and with their help, she started riding professionally

in March.

"After the Colonial meet, I needed somewhere else to go and

I heard this was a good spot, so I ended up here," said Keiser, who has made a

name for herself in her short time at Penn National by scoring on a few long

shots on the grass. "I like the turf, I've gotten a little more practice on it,

but I can get it done on the dirt too."

Albright, Coddington, Keiser and Strunk-Micklos get along

very well and have formed a friendship based on healthy competition and mutual

respect.

"Yeah we're competitive, but we're all friends," Albright said. "On the track, though, it's all business."

"The competitive nature of our friendship makes us work harder," Coddington

said. "I think it's good to have multiple female jockeys

because sometimes I don't feel comfortable going to one of the guys and asking

them for help. But I can ask Erika or Kaylia their opinion on something."

"There's this line where we are friends in the jocks room

but when it comes to getting on a race horse, it's game time," Keiser said. "I'm

out to win, just like they are. If I see a nose beside me near the wire, you

better believe I want to nose out the win."

Strunk-Micklos agrees that they are all trying to win, but

also acknowledges that she has a special rooting interest for her female

counterparts.

"We are certainly out there to compete with each other," Strunk-Micklos

admitted. "However, while if I'm in a race I want to be the winner, I

would love it if they were second, third and fourth. While we are competing

against each other, I see them as my teammates. When one of us is successful, it

shines a good light on female riders in general."

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