EP10: Belmont Winner Jena Antonucci: Human Connections and the Great Equalizer that is Horse Racing
from the cutting room floor:
One of the most influential, impactful women I‘ve met over the past year is horse trainer Jena Antonucci and honestly, I feel so grateful to have the chance to follow along on her journey because I’ve realized she may be the first woman in sports I’ve been able to follow who is at the top of her game and still rising and with the opportunity to help change a sport while she’s doing it. I first talked to Jena after she won the Belmont Stakes, making her the first female trainer to win a triple crown race. While at the Belmont for my work with America’s Best Racing, I stopped in my tracks with my daughter watching while Jena was interviewed post race. I knew the significance of that win so here I was a few weeks later at a car rental counter racing to my Chris Paul interview when Jena and I were able to connect for the first time on the phone. I bumbled through a conversation asking her for her time to sit with me for this conversation. The wild ride continued from there. I met her finally in Saratoga and the date we set to meet was the week before her horse Arcangelo’s next big race. We met for lunch overlooking the paddock at Saratoga Race Track where we talked about what it was like becoming the first female to win the Belmont Stakes, how she is proving naysayers wrong while training horses with a unique approach that is steeped in years of holding different roles in developing horses and training them for competition. She shared how overcoming traumas from her childhood has yielded lessons that have helped her catapult forward in a role she believed she not too long ago, believed she may have to give up. My favorite line ever: “If you don’t have a seat a the table, make your own table!”
Podcast show notes:
As part of Lindsay’s Human Connections Conversation Series, Horse trainer Jena Antonucci shares her journey to becoming the first female trainer to win the Belmont Stakes. How she turned childhood adversity into self-realization, what she has uncovered about the importance of connection with horses and with people, and how she is living her now famous victory quote “If you don’t have a seat at the table, make your own table.” Jena also shares her thoughts on the importance of evolving the sport of horse racing and what she wants critics to know about the sport that captivated her as a young girl.
episode breakdown:
[00:00:00] Jena Antonucci's journey as a horse trainer
[00:00:57] Arcangelo's second big race win
[00:01:11] Jena Antonucci's connection with horses and the importance of family and friendship
[00:09:55] Transition to a new home and relationship with stepmom
[00:11:49] Transfer to a new school and involvement in sports
[00:13:32] Loss of stepmom and the importance of perspective
[00:18:22] The journey to becoming a horse trainer
[00:19:18] Curiosity about the breaking and training process
[00:20:13] Exposure to high-end horses and Wayne Lucas's training program
[00:27:17] The culture of horse training
[00:28:12] The tough lessons and early wins
[00:30:29] The relief and celebration of winning the Belmont Stakes
[00:37:31] The gift of horse training
[00:38:18] The importance of relationships and self-awareness
[00:41:19] Building your own table
[00:47:02] Dealing with Disagreements
[00:48:17] Evolving the Sport
[00:54:30] The Complexity of Horses
[00:58:03] Setting goals and their limitations
[00:59:06] Living with the best intention
[01:00:03] Learning from Jena and behind-the-scenes at the racetrack
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