Q&A: Rosemary Homeister Jr.

Age: 37

Hometown: Hollywood, Fla.

Single (divorced)

In 2003, was the first jockey to be honored with the Babe Didrickson Zaharias Award

Around horses all of her life while growing up in south Florida, it was a sure thing that the daughter of jockeys James and Rosemary Homeister would someday become a jockey herself.

Rosemary Homeister Jr., started riding at age 19 in year 1992, she certainly broke from the gate very well. She debuted as the best of the boys, and the few girls, to win the Eclipse Award as North America's top apprentice jockey, the first woman to win the award.

Very successful at south Florida tracks like Calder Race Course (leading rider 1992) and Hialeah Park (leading rider 2001), Homeister decided to take an 18-month hiatus beginning in 2004 to attempt to start a family and take on a new venture in the real estate business. But Homeister, now divorced, decided to return to horse racing in June 2006.  She had a warm welcome from Calder Race Course winning with her 3rd mount back and then in late 2007 decided to move her tack to a new track called Presque Isle Downs where she won 9 races in a 26 day meet.

Why Rosemary Homeister Jr., unusual for a woman?

One reason is her mother, a trainer for 35 years now, has been most influential in her career since James Homeister died when she was 12.

"He helped me a lot when I was young, and he won over 500 races," she said. "My mother taught me the ins and outs of horseracing and has been a trainer for 35 years now. We have the same first, middle and last names, so since I started racing, many people thought she was training and riding for other trainers, so they put Junior on the end of my name to distinguish between the two.

Describe a racehorse, and the feeling riding one in a race.

If you think of NASCAR or Indy racing, and you think of a car that has so many gears. Well, a horse has the same thing, except for the steering wheel and brakes. When they break out of the gate, they go from 0-to-15 or 20 miles an hour in one jump. It's like, Boom! They're gone. Then you're able to rate a horse, in other words to get them to relax down the backside.  When you reach the 3/8 (of a mile) pole, we ask the horse to pick it up. Then again at the quarter pole, we ask for another gear and again at the eighth pole until we reach the finish line.  I like to think of these as gears.  It's amazing how fast a horse can shift into actio.

One word to describe it is, 'amazing.' When you're on a horse at top speed, you're going over 30 miles an hour, and it's the most electric feeling because of the way they accelerate. It's a rush.

You retired in 2004 after riding 13 years. Were you hesitant to do that, and why did you come back?

No, I got my real estate license the year before I retired, and I kind of lost my focus for racing, almost like a burn-out, and I was about ready for a change. I also had a few falls right before I quit that made me think twice. But I was so intent about real estate because it was something new and I was already investing in it. I was excited about a new career. I was ready to start a family, so I was ready to retire.

During the first year, I was unable to get pregnant, I got divorced and the real estate market tanked. I decided to go back into the racing industry but only as an exercise rider, and had no intentions to race again.  But after about three days of galloping, I thought if I am going to ride horses I am going to do it professionally and kick start my career again.  I really didn't like galloping, it was boring. So I went back to riding. I took about 10 days to get fit and ready for my first race back, I won my third day back. I ended up winning 62 races in sixth months.  Taking the time off I did, was really great for me because when I came back I got the strong passion I used to have when I first began my career. 

You were the top rider at Calder and selected to the jockey hall of fame there. Was that your biggest achievement?

No. It was riding in the 2003 Kentucky Derby (won by Funny Cide) on Supah Blitz, which is the best horse I ever rode. We finished 13th, but that was the most amazing moment of my career.

It was an experience like no other. You're in awe of the moment. It's like the Super Bowl. You feel like a superstar, and the whole world is watching you.

As a female jockey, is their any woman rider you idolized.

When I was just starting, my mother said to watch Julie Krone, to watch her hands, how she sits and gets a horse to relax.

The first time I met Julie Krone was in the hospital.  I had just taken a bad spill at the meadowlands and broke my right hip.  Julie heard of the news and decided to come visit me the next day after she rode at Belmont Race Track.  I couldn't believe it, my jaw hit the floor when she walked into my hospital room.  She had a great spririt about her and was very bubbly.  She asked to see the scar and I was nervous to remove the bandage.  She wasn't and peeled it back and said that's not so bad you'll be back in no time.  She is a true inspiration to all girls, and opened a lot of doors for women in this Sport of Kings. (Krone retired in 2004).

And it's hard not to idolize Mary Russ, the first woman to win a million dollars in earnings. She is an amazing woman and Jockey.  I knew her as a young girl and wanted to follow in her racing footsteps one day. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Calder Race Course hall of fame, and I was inducted in 2006. I'll follow her any day.

What brought you to Presque Isle Downs, and what do you think of Erie?

I was riding at Calder Race Course and my career had seemed to slow at that time.  I was introduced to my now agent, Mark Mace, who told me about a new track opening up, and he would like to take me there to ride.  I agreed and packed my tack and took a chance at a new track and a new agent.  We were very successful winning 9 races for the 26 day meet.