Jena Antonucci made history this past weekend as the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, when her horse, Arcangelo, overcame 7-1 odds and beat out the competition in the marathon race.
It didn’t take long for Antonucci’s reaction to the big win to go viral either, as video was widely shared showing her shifting from jumping and shouting ecstatically to shedding tears of joy as the gray colt charged down the lane to the wire.
On Twitter, fans sang her praises, telling her she would go down in history as a horse racing legend.
“This is awesome,” tweeted Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy.
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When the race had ended, Antonucci was at a loss for words, telling the FOX broadcast, “I don’t have words right now. We’re just soaking all this in and just so proud of the horse right now… If you can’t get a seat at the table, make your own table.”
After the excitement of the victory settled, she joined Fox News’ Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino in-studio Monday to relive the moment.
“It’s amazing,” she said, jokingly remarking that she’s thankful the race’s outcome is the same every time she replays the recording.
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When asked what is special about the horse, she replied, “Everything. He’s one of those kinds of horses that just engages with everyone else around him. He sees you, he knows where a camera is… he’s such a ham, honestly.”
Jockey Javier Castellano also took home a special victory, his first in his career after 22 years of racing in the Belmont Stakes. He marveled at Arcangelo, saying, “I give all credit to [him].”
The 45-year-old Venezuelan jockey grew up just miles from the racetrack. On that note, Antonucci called the sport a “melting pot” for people of all different backgrounds.
“It’s just everyone coming together because of a horse,” she said. “The best thing about Javier is that he can feel a race, and he’s been so in-tune to Arcangelo, so that was the last thing I told him [before the win], that ‘I just want you to lean into this race and just go do it.’”
When asked about her “make your own table” remark after Saturday’s win, she said she meant it as a way of addressing how life is full of adversity regardless of the industry you choose.
“Whatever you want to do, do it exceptionally well, and people aren’t always going to respect and appreciate your path of wanting to get there,” she said, telling people to make their own table to make their dreams happen.
Antonucci operates a small Florida-based stable and Arcangelo was her first runner to compete in a Grade 1 race.
