Skyler Spanabel

Born: October 6, 1999 | Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana | Residence: Farmington Hills, MI

First Win: Two Nephews, Hazel Park, 2017 | Started Riding: 2017, Hazel Park Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park

After losing her apprentice allowance late in the 2021 Delaware Park meet, Spanabel was unsure how she would fit in during her first season at Tampa Bay Downs. Healthy levels of determination, skill and an eagerness to work helped her exceed most expectations, as she rode 23 winners to finish 14th in the standings. Spanabel is the daughter of Kelly Spanabel, a former jockey who rode 216 winners and is now a trainer. Skyler rode her first winner at 17 at Hazel Park in Michigan on a horse trained by her father, George Iacovacci, Sr. She has climbed the ranks the old-fashioned way – first working as a hotwalker, then learning to pony horses before becoming an exercise rider and a jockey. She credits her mother and the late Ronnie Houghton, a jockey, trainer and long-time outrider, with teaching her the ropes on the track and helping her build the mental toughness she needs to succeed. Watching her mother win races was a major inspiration. “I’d get into the winner’s circle pictures with her, and it was so exciting,” Skyler said. “I wanted to be more than the person in the photo; I wanted to be the reason they were taking the photo.” Skyler was on pace to return to action at the outset of the 2022-2023 Oldsmar meet after a training accident in July at Delaware in which a horse kicked her, breaking her right elbow in three places. After proving to herself she could keep winning races without the apprentice allowance, she is out to prove even more to horsemen, her fellow riders and fans.