With a victory aboard the debuting Perfect Lady Bee (Bee Jersey) in Thursday's fourth race at Woodbine for trainer Roger Attfield and owner/breeder Charles Fipke, jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson became the highest-earning female jockey in history, surpassing the record of $90,126,584 previously held by Hall of Fame rider Julie Krone.
Wilson began the day just over $11,000 shy of the record and began chipping away with a runner-up effort in the afternoon's opening event, a $25,000 claimer going seven furlongs on the synthetic track. Wilson had no mounts in the next two races before eclipsing the mark in the rained-off six-furlong maiden allowance. Chasing One Front War (War Front) into the final furlong, Wilson drove Perfect Lady Bee past in the late stages to score by 3/4 of length.
“To capitalize and break this record with a win for these connections, you couldn't have written a storybook any better,” said an emotional Wilson. “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 was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, has been a close follower of Wilson's career.
“Somehow I had seen her riding and I just like sent her a compliment or something, and then that perpetuated into calling her,” Krone said. “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.”
“Julie has been a true supporter of mine right from the get-go,” said Wilson, who was shown a special video message from Krone after the record-breaking win. “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 Sovereign and Eclipse Award-winning apprentice in 2005, Wilson became the first of her sex to win a Queen's Plate aboard Mike Fox (Giant's Causeway) in 2007. Wilson has frequently showcased her talents on the world stage, including a trip to Hong Kong in 2008, and helped the Girls' Team to victory in the 2015 Shergar Cup in England.
Over the course of her career, Wilson has won 1903 races, including 129 stakes and 39 graded events.
Emma-Jayne Wilson eclipses Julie Krone as the all-time highest-earning female jockey as she wills #2 PERFECT LADY BEE ($8.60) to the wire in Race 4 at @woodbinetb. @EJWilson81 was aboard the three-year-old Bee Jersey filly for trainer Roger Attfield and owner Charles Fipke. 👏 pic.twitter.com/NARggrMP6c
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 11, 2024
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