There are a number of feminine jockeys who will at all times be related to their historic “firsts.” Diane Crump was the primary feminine jockey to trip in a sanctioned race and the primary girl to trip within the Kentucky Derby. Julie Krone turned the primary feminine rider to win a Triple Crown race when she guided Colonial Affair to victory within the 1993 Belmont Stakes. Jockey Rosie Napravnik was the primary girl to win the Kentucky Oaks, capturing the 2012 version with Consider You Can.
However how about an Eclipse Award? Who was the primary feminine rider to win an Eclipse Award?
The reply may very well be a stumper, except you adopted the Florida circuit regularly greater than 30 years in the past. Then, by way of seeing her win races with aplomb each day and trip in addition to anybody on the circuit, you might most likely guess the reply.
It was in 1992 that Rosemary Homeister Jr. achieved a primary for a feminine rider by successful the Eclipse Award because the excellent apprentice jockey.
That breakthrough honor signaled the beginning of a extremely profitable driving profession from 1992-2015 that noticed her win 2,784 races and blow a kiss to the observe’s tv cameras after every of them. All of the whereas she earned respect as a jockey who had the correct mixture of talent, expertise, and willpower to be a prime rider on one most well-known and aggressive circuits in North America.
Homeister was born on July 5, 1972, in Hollywood, Fla., and was destined to be a jockey. Her father, James Homeister, was a rider who collected greater than 500 wins, whereas her mom, Rosemary Homeister Sr., rode in 29 races from 1977-’81 and registered her first and solely win on Successful Information at Calder Race Course on Jan. 7, 1978.
Impressed by her mom, Homeister started exercising horses and breaking horses as an adolescent.
In 1992, she started driving as an apprentice at Calder Race Course and loved nice success. She gained 172 races that 12 months and compiled $1,769,063 in earnings whereas successful the driving title on the Tropical at Calder meet and gained sufficient nationwide consideration to be voted because the recipient of an Eclipse Award.
She spent her first summer season as an apprentice at Monmouth Park and was the highest apprentice rider throughout her first two years on the Jersey Shore observe.
After her sensational debut in 1992, Homeister gained 100 or extra races in 10 of the following 11 years. Other than all these wins regularly, she additionally gained greater than 100 stakes in her profession, 13 of them graded stakes.
Amongst these black-type wins had been triumphs within the 2002 Grade 2 Davona Dale aboard Ms Brookski, the 2002 Grade 2 La Prevoyante on New Financial system, and the 2009 Grade 2 William L. McKnight on Cloudy’s Knight.
She led all feminine jockeys in wins in 2000-’01 and in 2001 turned the one feminine jockey to win the driving title at Hialeah Park.
Homeister reached the top of the game in 2003 when she was given the mount on Supah Blitz within the Kentucky Derby. Although Supah Blitz completed thirteenth behind Humorous Cide, Homeister basked within the glow of turning into simply the fifth feminine to trip within the run for the roses (Rosie Napravnik turned the sixth in 2011).
In 2011, Homeister introduced she was pregnant and put her profession on maintain to offer start to her daughter, Victoria Rose, on the age of 39.
She returned in 2012 and had one among her finest years, successful 125 races with earnings of $3,280,647.
Homeister slowed the tempo the following few years earlier than retiring in 2015. But earlier than the curtain got here down, she recorded one final graded stakes win, taking the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Embrace Betty.
Her profession got here to an in depth on Sept. 26, 2015, when she rode Spark Equipment to a second-place end within the eighth race at Arlington Park, an ironic finish to a stellar profession for a lady who deserves to be remembered for a historic first.
Notice: This story was initially printed in February 2018 and has been up to date.
Enjoyable Info About Rosemary Homeister Jr.
She took the identify of Rosemary Homeister Jr. to keep away from being confused along with her mom, who was additionally a jockey and had the identical first and center names.
In 2001, she turned the primary girl to win the Clasico del Caribe.
Amongst her different stakes wins had been the Princess Rooney, Calder Derby, My Charmer, Kentucky Cup Turf, and Florida Oaks.
In 2003, she was the recipient of the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Award.
In 2005, Emma-Jayne Wilson joined Homeister because the second girl to win the Eclipse Award because the main apprentice rider.
