Moms in Horse Racing: Shaping the Sport On and Off the Track

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In the fast-paced world of horse racing, motherhood adds another layer of challenge and strength. Women like Tessa Walden, an assistant for Brad Cox Racing, Jordan Hattaway, who owns and manages Hattaway Farms, and jockey Sophie Doyle are shaping the sport on and off the track.

Transcript

00:00Being a mom in racing for me, yes it's challenging but it's so rewarding at the

00:07same time. It's felt really good to me to know that this has made my life, it's

00:13enriched it, it's made it better, it hasn't stifled it, which is what I thought could

00:17happen. I think it's pretty awesome. It's a pretty cool job to have coming home to

00:23her after every race. That's the best feeling in the world I bring cheer with

00:38the baby and spread joy through the baby. She's extremely adorable and

00:44distracting and she looks right at you and kind of locks you in but it makes

00:49everybody happy to see her and then that makes me happy. Oh she's adorable. Thank

00:53you, she's a good girl. My little assistant, the real boss actually. My real boss.

01:04So I never wanted to have kids because I felt like it I wouldn't be able to do my

01:09job with kids. You know it's a struggle enough without kids so I really didn't

01:14think it would be possible at all to have a family and do the job at the level I

01:18was doing it. Nobody has gotten to where they are in the thoroughbred industry

01:22without hours and hours of like blood sweat and tears. So being a mom in racing

01:27to me means creating an example for other women that they can do it and that they

01:33can have a family and still be involved in the industry in whatever way they

01:37want and I think breaking through stereotypes for other women. Would you

01:42like to stand? Would you like to stand? Wow you're so strong. You're amazing.

01:54Ready? Are you riding? I always said you know once I become a mom that's it I could

02:09never be a jockey again and it's a tough one to do because it is very tough out on

02:14the track. You know you do put your life on the line going out to ride horses.

02:19Found out I was pregnant with Emily two weeks after riding the Breeders Cup at

02:23Delmar and I'm like oh great timing. To find out that you're gonna have to stop

02:32riding at the top of your game I mean it was tough to suddenly go okay I have like

02:40I don't have a choice. When I had the opportunity to come back to race again it

02:45was nice it's nice to be able to come back and just enjoy it and have fun and

02:49have your daughter there on the sidelines cheering for you and it was something

02:54that I can't believe that I ever said no I would never do this. I don't know why I

02:59ever doubted myself.

03:02Mommy has to get ready to race. Can you get my boots?

03:05Can you get my boots? Yes I will hold it for a second. Thank you especially as my

03:20mom you know she was a woman in racing who trained for 25 years and raised my

03:25brother and I and now that I get to do it with my daughter Emily it really means a

03:31lot to me and it's kind of it really hits home that what my mom went through means

03:35a whole lot more to me now.

03:40Yeah maybe jog one and then the second lap she can gallop but but slow.

03:48I think when I was pregnant and I first found out I was pregnant I was really

03:54worried that you know I wasn't gonna be able to do it I was really worried I was

03:58gonna have to stop what I was doing or you know completely change what I was

04:03doing and then but you know you just you kind of just do it you know you fall into

04:08it you find your community.

04:10The problem is we put him on his pony and he cries if you take him off so if you're

04:17gonna let him ride you're gonna be there for a while.

04:20Right buddy.

04:22It's not that it's not hard and it's not difficult but you know I think the most difficult part

04:28about it is just just when it's new and in figuring out how to adjust but then you just

04:34kind of fall into it and make it work.

04:37I think the most rewarding part about being a mom especially on the track and at the farm

04:43is that I get to watch my son have a really fun childhood and be a little farm kid and a

04:50little track kid and love animals.

04:52Is that your baby?

04:54Baby.

04:55Don't leave.

04:56Is that your baby?

04:57Awww.

04:58Say awwww.

04:59Is that your baby?

05:00Ha.

05:01Yeah.

05:02The biggest thing is finding your community.

05:07There's so many moms on the racetrack and so if you get in build that community with those moms.

05:18Stay at home moms that's probably even harder than being a working mom you know so I mean

05:23I think that you know moms are kind of the unsung heroes and I don't know I have all new

05:29respect for mine let's put it that way.

05:32Once she understood that mom has to go and ride she got into enjoying watching me come

05:38out and go out and ride and cheering for me on the sideline and I remember one day I was

05:43in the starting gate and I could hear me going go mommy come on mommy you got to win this

05:50mommy I could hear and I was like oh I was like I started like getting tears and I was

05:55like okay alright you got to be a jockey now mom.

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