hodsdon ISSUE 18.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
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DANIELLE HODSDON
Danielle Hodsdon: for the love of horses A fan-favorite on the U.S. steeplechase racing circuit, Danielle Hodsdon is known to give the boys a run for their money, routinely ending high in the standings in a male-dominated sport. By Daniela Snyder
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HE currently ranks second on the leaderboard. On April 24th of this year, Hodsdon scored her impressive 100th career victory on Mrs. Calvin Houghland’s Nationbuilder in the $50,000 Queen’s Cup MCP Chase, and more recently won Saratoga’s prestigious A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase on William Pape’s Divine Fortune on August 5th, an event she had previously won twice on Pape’s Mixed Up. “This was a very rewarding win, as I have always thought that [Divine] Fortune is one of the most talented horses I have ever ridden,” Hodsdon says about this year’s Smithwick. Aside from being able to maneuver her horse over hurdles with artful precision and a judgment of pace second to none, Hodsdon has that old crowd-pleasing style: she tends to drift back a little at the beginning of each race, almost as if she is letting everyone else exhaust themselves before she makes her move, flying by the others, usually in the stretch. Her horses seem to love what they do and appear to be as determined as the woman on board. While there have been women jockeys for decades, horseracing has been mostly
regarded as a male-dominated sport. Hodsdon took it a step further and is one of the few women to specialize in steeplechasing. But like most female riders, Hodsdon does not want to be defined by her gender. She grew up competing against men in three-day-eventing, thus Hodsdon does not consider being a jockey with mostly men to be any different. “Some trainers are more open to girl riders than others, but different trainers prefer different types of riders regardless,” Hodsdon says. “Each rider has his or her own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to acquiring rides. I prefer to primarily ride for a trainer I work for and have a relationship with the horses that I ride. That’s just what works for me.” She jokes, “One advantage to being a woman is that I usually have plenty of room in the changing quarters while the guys are jammed on top of one another!” Hodsdon, who owned her first pony at the age of four, knew growing up that her life would always involve horses. The 33year-old has come a long way since her first victory in 2000 on Sultry Gate at Foxfield in Virginia and credits much of her success to Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who gave her a job in 2004.
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