NYRA Photo

Best of 2023: Jena Antonucci

by Mary Eddy

Just four live race days remain in 2023 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. To celebrate the season, the NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of trainers, owners, jockeys and racing personalities to get their reflections on the memorable year.

On June 10, trainer Jena Antonucci achieved the important milestone of becoming the first female conditioner to train the winner of a Triple Crown race when Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo stormed home to a 1 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at Belmont Park. A little more than two months later, Arcangelo and his conditioner’s talents were once again put on full display when the son of Arrogate captured the Grade 1 Travers by one length at Saratoga Race Course.

With her accomplishments, Antonucci became a celebrated role model for women to excel and break barriers not just in horse racing, but across all walks of life, garnering national media attention for her words of advice shortly after her Belmont victory: “Never give up, and if you can’t find a seat at the table, make your own table.”

Arcangelo retired at the end of October to Lane’s End Farm where he will take up stud duty in 2024. Antonucci reflected on the stellar career of Arcangelo, and what her achievements mean for women and the sport.

Q: What did it mean to you personally to win the Belmont and Travers?

“It opened the window for people to see what we’ve been doing. I’ve chuckled a little bit at the people who say, ‘Oh, she’s only ever had one horse.’ No, we’ve actually had a lot, and have won stakes beforehand. Yes, these are our first Grade 1s, but our goal is to continue doing us. If it has afforded us to have a better quality of horses, then we will just continue to do all of that the best possible way we can. We’ll just continue to be true to who we are.

“It’s honestly most gratifying watching the team. When you take those little moments during an event and look at a team member’s face and see how proud they are – to watch that and to see the people accomplish career and lifetime goals and dreams, it’s literally the most gratifying part.

“I will forever be grateful for the horse and what he gave us, and him believing in us, but to watch your team check boxes in a way that maybe they never thought would happen and to potentially make that happen for them is by far and above the most rewarding and gratifying.”

Q: You’ve said before that you would need some time to think about exactly what this means for women in this sport. How have your thoughts come together with time?

“I think it’s resonated more hearing it from other people and what it means to them. Hearing how it made women who have watched the journey feel and to make people excited about our sport and what we have accomplished is such a gift.

“Recently, I was able to speak to an all-girls school from fifth graders to seniors, and did a talk with the group of almost 700 young ladies. To see where their questions fell and what they got excited about, and to be able to speak about what we’ve accomplished in our sport, it definitely resonates. To be able to look at young girls and say, ‘This hadn’t happened in 155 years,’ and to see how they receive that is special.

“You watch other women accomplish things in other sports and careers, but to watch it from the front row is very interesting and a gift that I will absolutely carry with much regard for a very long time to make sure it is meaningful and we can push the ball forward to encourage a young girl to rock on and to do her.”

Q: One of your most repeated and applauded comments about your accomplishments was your metaphor of making your own seat at the table. What does it mean to you that it resonated so well with so many?

“There was a space that was missing something, and that filled that space for people. I like to be behind the scenes making things happen, and we have created what we did because of what we’ve built. Being able to organize that into something that was short and concise for people is flattering. I hope it helps anybody, any gender or any age, fulfill something and understand that sometimes you’ve got to do it a different way.”

Q: Patience and working on the horse’s schedule were always central to your plans with Arcangelo and each of your trainees. How does your training program revolve around that model?

“Fiona [Goodwin, assistant] and I talk non-stop about every single horse. It’s just making sure we are doing our best to tend to each individual horse specifically. If it’s a colt or filly that needs a little more time, or something that we need to be a little tighter on and they need to be on a more stringent schedule – we just really try to give the breathing room to each horse.

“I greatly understand owners get a little impatient, so I just try to be respectful and mindful of, ‘Yes, we need to be running, but here are these things and here is why.’ Allowing the owner to be part of the process instead of just, ‘No, we’re not ready.’ I’ve found over my career that trying to explain it to them and allowing them to be part of the ‘whys’ is important.”

Q: After winning two of racing’s most prestigious events, what are some other goals you hope to achieve?

“We’re just going to stay present. We have a handful we really like in the barn and the ones we are hopefully getting as 2-year-olds for the coming season, and we’re going to let them tell their story like we let Arcangelo tell his. To put a burden on anyone in the team – as far as expectations – I don’t think is fair. We’ll let them run their races and tell their story.”

Q: With Arcangelo now retired, what will you remember most about him and his career?

“His personality. He’s such a cool guy, and his personality was bigger than the stall or the barn. We were able to get him to focus for the two minutes of his races and put that big personality to work. His desire to win and to want to be a Champion is something that you can’t bottle.

“He still has a ton of personality. I keep in touch with the farm [Lane’s End], and the stallion manager and I have some chuckles. His personality is in full effect. He’s doing awesome and they’re very much enjoying having him there. It will be wild and cool to train some of the kiddos one day.”

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.