“Just Evolve and Happen”: Renowned Female Equestrian Trainer Worth $7,319,545 Highlights a Unique Point Weeks After Historic Feat
Fans of equestrian sports will remember this year as an iconic one. Multiple controversies surrounded the purported deaths of horses at prominent tracks, and underdogs defeated pre-race favorites during the Triple Crown Series. The Belmont Stakes (Grade 1) was won by a female trainer for the first time in the race’s 155-year history in the 2023 racing season. Because of this victory, the name of the horse’s trainer, Jena Antonucci, will go down in racing history. Now that weeks have elapsed since the trainer won the supposedly Grade 1 race, she has made a significant revelation in a recent interview.
An interview with Jena Antonucci posted by Horse Racing Today gained a lot of attention after being shared on social media. After rider Javier Castellano won the 2023 Belmont Stakes on the trainer’s horse, Arcangelo, the trainer’s net worth skyrocketed to $7,319,545. However, she addressed her winning mentality from the outset of her career, as asked about in the interview.
The mindset of the reputed equestrian trainer
The Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA Bets, is the concluding race in horse racing’s Triple Crown Series and a Grade 1 event that has been held for 155 years. Any horse, jockey, or trainer would be proud to win the race. With a big mindset, Jena Antonucci showed up to the race at Belmont Park, won, and brought home the trophy and a check for $1,067,400. Antonucci was asked about her thoughts on horse racing from the beginning of her career to the present day in an interview with Horse Racing Today. In response to this query, she said firmly, “It really wasn’t a chartered plan path.”
In addition, Jena Antonucci said, “Things just evolve and happen.” She also highlighted a novel aspect, namely how individuals “push back on certain tasks” by saying, “don’t need to do that.” The respected horse trainer argues that people should “stop fighting” such impulses. Through her oblique message, accomplished equestrian trainer and multimillionaire Antonucci alluded to the winning mentality that helped her get to where she is today.
After such a huge win, the millionaire trainer was careful to speak boldly as she began laying the groundwork for the 2024 Triple Crown Series.
The 2023 Belmont Stakes
On July 10, 2023, thousands of people flocked to Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, to see the yearly spectacle. Visitors to the park would soon see the horses compete in the 1-and-1/2-mile race. Forte, the race favorite, had previously made headlines with his impressive comeback from an injury suffered before the Kentucky Derby. National Treasure, the 2023 Preakness Stakes victor, showed up to the Belmont Stakes as well, when he put the competition under intense duress.
In the first turn after the starting gun went off, National Treasure was out in front, followed by Tapit Shoes, Hit Show, and the pre-race favorite Forte. But in the last turn of the race, things changed as Arcangelo paced among the other horses and advanced to fourth place. Arcangelo picked up the pace, sprinted past the rest of the field, and finished in 2 minutes, 29.23 seconds, a full length and a half ahead of the favorite, Forte. Trainer Jena Antonucci, whose bank account now stands at $7,319,545, and rider Javier Castellano, who also won this year’s Kentucky Derby with Mage, both had tremendous days.
