Madeline Rowland

Born: November 6, 2003 | Birthplace: Elkton, Maryland | Residence: Landenberg, Pennsylvania

First Win: Sancocho, Tampa Bay Downs, 2021 | Started Riding: 2021, Delaware Park Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, Meadowlands, New York

By the time Rowland rode four winners on the May 7 Kentucky Derby Day card at Tampa Bay Downs, she had captivated a wide audience of fans eager to follow the exploits of the (then)-18-year-old apprentice. Despite experiencing a few dry spells, Rowland showed enough talent, verve and grit to finish ninth in the standings with 34 victories. “Maddie” resumed her winning ways in the mid-Atlantic, securing 50 career victories by early October and reducing her apprentice weight allowance to 5 pounds entering the 2022-2023 Oldsmar meeting. Rowland impressed trainers and fellow jockeys with her dedication, seeking out advice from some of the track’s more accomplished riders. While working toward her high school degree by taking online classes, Rowland kept a journal noting her accomplishments and detailing her plans to improve. Rowland dedicated her first victory on Dec. 10, 2021 at Tampa Bay Downs aboard 4-year-old gelding Sancocho to her father Paul Rowland, a steeplechase racing trainer who died of cancer when she was 8. Rowland was introduced to horses long before then. Friends gave her a Miniature Horse, Rascal, when she was 2, and her mother Jodi recalls her raising both arms and exclaiming “Up!” to signal her readiness to ride. At 15, she approached family friend Elizabeth Merryman, a breeder, owner and former trainer with horses at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, about pursuing her racetrack dreams. Merryman laid the challenges of the profession on the line, and Rowland never blinked. Rowland’s passion shines through every time she goes onto the track. “Even when she doesn’t win, you can watch her pull her horse up and come back and tell how much she loves them,” said former jockey Paula Bacon, the agent for Pablo Morales and Antonio Gallardo. “She is full of smiles and joy, and you know they love her right back.”