The Kentucky Derby is one of the biggest American sporting events of the year and this time around for the 139th running there could be some history made, as Rosie Napravnik is in the event and could end up as the first woman jockey to take the race.
According to CNN.com, Napravnik said she wants to be judged on her merits and not her gender and that she is ready to take hold as she tried to become the first woman to win the race in the history of the event. The 25-year-old has performed strongly over the past year and although her horse Mylute is a longshot, she feels she has a chance.
Napravnik is from New Jersey and she was fifth on the earnings list after making $12.4 million in prize money last year and she could add to that on Saturday. She was in the top three in almost half of her races last season and she is ready to go for the roses at Churchill Downs. Napravnik started with horses when she was young and eventually got into pony racng.
"I'm very physically fit. I'm strong. I'm not just a little string bean female that weighs 100 pounds -- and that's why I ride horses," she told CNN. "I think my horse Mylute is going to be a live longshot. He's very laid back, he's not bothered by much, so the crowds shouldn't get to him -- he's definitely the type of horse that you want to have in a race like this."
"There's still a lot of things that I want to accomplish in my career so I'm going to try and get all of that out of the way first -- my husband and I are very excited about having a family," she said.