Her riding career had its share of ups and downs, one that saw her on the short-list for a Sovereign Award, and also sent to the sidelines with a serious leg injury. But, Catherine O’Brien-Demartis endured, and eventually found just what she hoped for at the racetrack.
She would win 91 races, along with nearly $2.5 million in purse earnings over a four-year career in the irons, highlighted by finding her name on the finalist ballot for the 2008 Sovereign as Canada’s champion apprentice jockey.
There were plenty of memorable moments to speak of, including O’Brien-Demartis’ first career win, which came at Fort Erie in 2006.
But there were also tough times, most notably, when the Montreal native fractured her shinbone in a horrific spill at Fort Erie on Oct. 6, 2008.
After being sidelined for nine months recuperating from her injury, O’Brien-Demartis, who started taking riding lessons at age 10, was ready to get back in the saddle.
“It took some time to get back to 100 per cent,” she recalled. “Before I resumed riding, I got married (her husband Giuseppe is a blacksmith). I still walked with a bit of a limp on my wedding day and had to wear flats instead of heels, but I managed to get through it.”
Unfortunately, the brisk business she enjoyed as a bug rider had tailed off after she made the transition to journeyman.
In 2010, O’Brien-Demartis, who majored in equine studies at Kemptville College (near Ottawa), decided to hang up her tack.
“There was zero momentum after I lost my bug,” she said. “It was tough sitting in the room almost the whole day, waiting to ride a 50-1 shot, knowing there was little chance to win. Eventually, I started galloping a lot more. I love that part of it, being able to watch a horse improve, having that strong bond with them.”
O’Brien-Demartis would take a break from her galloping gig, but it was a welcome one.
“I got pregnant and we had our daughter, Gabriella, in 2012,’ she said. ‘I took my maternity leave, but I came back last September.”
The 34-year-old has been galloping for Woodbine-based up-and-coming trainer Katerina Vassilieva, ever since. The pair had met years earlier on the Toronto oval backstretch.
“She’s a great person,” said Vassilieva, who gave O’Brien-Demartis the reins of Big Bazinga, her three-year-old stable star. “What I love most about Catherine is her positive attitude. She always comes to work smiling and upbeat. She is a great rider, relaxed and patient. The horses feel this from her and respond so well to it. I love to see horses relax in the morning. Her experience as a jockey is an asset because she is able to breeze the horses in the morning and assess their level of fitness and readiness for a race.”
“Catherine is also a team player. She takes pride in her job and in seeing the horses do well.”
O’Brien-Demartis is equally complimentary of Vassilieva.
“I feel lucky to be riding for Katerina,” she noted. ‘She has a great love for her horses and the sport. She also has a great attention to detail for each of her horses. I see great things in the future for her.’
As for herself, O’Brien-Demartis has found just what she was looking for – a rewarding career and a cherished family life.
“I enjoy coming to work every day and I enjoy the time I get to spend with my husband and daughter,’ she said. ‘Things have worked out well.”
