Jena Antonucci becomes first female trainer to win Triple Crown race after Arcangelo’s Belmont victory

History was made at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday as Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Her horse, Arcangelo, took the lead at the top of the stretch to claim the victory on Saturday.

Not only was Antonucci the first woman to ever win the Belmont Stakes, but she was just the 11th to participate in it. Prior to Antonucci, Dianne Carpenter’s Kingpost had the previous best finish, coming in second back in 1998. Kathy Ritvo was the most recent trainer to have a horse in the event back in 2011.

You can view Arcangelo’s victory below.

It was also the first Belmont win in 15 tries for jockey Javier Castellano, who rode Arcangelo to victory. It’s been quite the past couple of months for Castellano, who also rode Mage to a win in the Kentucky Derby five weeks ago.

“This is a wonderful horse. I’m really happy for her, you know, she’s a really good woman,” Castellano said of Antonucci via the Associated Press. “She’s a good horseman.”

Arcangelo started the race from the No. 3 post position. Preakness winner National Treasure jumped out to an early lead but Arcangelo and Castellano stayed close behind. By the turn the leads to the far stretch, both horses were neck-and-neck. It didn’t take long after that for Arcangelo to take the lead, and once the horse did it never looked back and the distance between it and the others only grew.

Jena Antonucci reveals what it means to win Belmont Stakes

Antonucci began riding horses in preschool and has long been a member of the racing community. She became a trainer in 2010 and runs a modest stable, having sent less than 2,000 horses to the post throughout her career.

Speaking with the media after the race, she opened up on the emotions of her victory.

“They say there’s no crying in baseball, but they’ve never said it about horse racing,” Antonucci said. “You fight for that spot and you feel you have to prove your worth. Horses don’t care. They don’t care who you are. They know who you are. To have a horse believe in you, and your team, the way this horse does … I wish more people could be like horses.”

After Arcangelo retuned, Antonucci leaned over to give the horse a kiss on the nose. She also revealed what the scene was like prior to the race.

“When we were walking out, I said there is not a table made for you,” she said. “You make the table. You put great people around you, you work hard. Work your tail off. It will come if you do it the right way. Do it the right way.”

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