Emma-Jayne Wilson overtook the mark helds by the legendary Julie Krone when she rode her latest winner at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada
There is a new name at the top of the list of the world ’s most successful female jockeys.
Emma-Jayne Wilson surpassed the legendary Julie Krone to become the highest earning female jockey of all-time on Thursday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Wilson, 42, started the meeting within touching distance of Krone’s total career prize-money haul of £69,623,236.
She took her place in racing’s history books when scoring on first-time starter Perfect Lady Bee for trainer Roger Attfield and owner Charles Fipke to set a new mark of £69,643,727.
“To capitalize and break this record with a win for these connections, you couldn’t have written a storybook any better,” said Wilson, who is well known in Britain through her exploits at Ascot’s Shergar Cup.
“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,” said 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 said: “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 awardds 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. Her latest victory was the 1,903th of her career.
