Emma-Jayne Wilson surpassed Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone for all-time purse earnings by a female jockey on Thursday evening at Woodbine Racetrack.
Entering the day just $11,042 shy of Krone’s $90,126,584 (USD) record, Wilson took her place in racing’s history book with a thrilling victory aboard first-time starter Perfect Lady Bee for Hall of Fame connections of trainer Roger Attfield and owner Charles Fipke to surpass Krone’s mark.
“To capitalize and break this record with a win for these connections, you couldn’t have written a storybook any better,” said an emotional Wilson. “I’m trying really hard not to show too much emotion. I’m so used to putting my emotions in the backseat to ride races and be completely focused one race to the next, but this one means so much to me.”
Krone, who became the first woman inducted to the National Museum of Racing of Hall of Fame in 2000, has long been tracking Wilson’s success.
“Somehow I had seen her riding and I just like sent her a compliment or something, and then that perpetuated into calling her,” remembers Krone. “We ended up talking about really cool things… about our love for horses, of course, but then we started talking about some of the adversity she was up against at the time. I told her she was such a good rider, and that her horsemanship will always take her through any challenges.
“She’s a great female jockey, but the way I see it, she’s a great jockey, period.”
Wilson, who was shown a special video message from Krone following her record win, reflected on the influence Krone has been and how far racing has come for women.
“Julie has been a true supporter of mine right from the get-go. Even when she got wind of the potential of me breaking the record this year, she’s been messaging me relentlessly to show her support and it’s an absolute honour to share this record with her.
“This is to show how well the industry has come since she started to show what equality and sportsmanship is and what it means.”
A multiple Grade 1-winning champion jockey, Wilson started her career in 2004 and turned heads immediately, becoming Woodbine’s leading rider in 2005 as an apprentice.
Wilson won both the Sovereign and Eclipse as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2005 and captured both the Woodbine title and a second Sovereign as Outstanding Apprentice in 2006.
In 2007, Wilson became the first woman rider to win The Queen’s Plate aboard Mike Fox.
A staple of Woodbine racing for two decades, Wilson has taken her talents across the world, including Hong Kong in 2008 and captaining the Girls’ Team to victory in the Shergar Cup at Ascot in 2015.
A respected ambassador for the sport, Wilson, 42, received the coveted Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 2018, which honours significant contributions to the sport by a jockey.
Over the course of her racing career, Wilson has 1,903 wins, 129 stakes win and 39 graded stakes win.
A winner’s circle presentation was made to Wilson immediately following her victory to recognize the historic record. Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, along with the connections of Perfect Lady Bee, including trainer Attfield, joined Wilson.
Woodbine is planning a special celebration of Wilson’s accomplishment and will announce the details in the coming days.
Watch the interview here:
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