A Chicago-based jockey discovered her passion for equestrian sport in her 20s. A fine arts degree holder working in marketing fell in love with the sport where “men and women could compete at the same event.” Interestingly while digging more into this sport, the athlete found out that no woman has ever won the Kentucky Derby. Amid this, the 37-year-old who is currently worth $346,183 decided to take matters into her own hands and started her journey to become a jockey.
Betwixt chasing her goal to become the first woman to win the Kentucky Derby, the athlete faced a huge setback. While riding at an event the jockey suffered a tragic accident causing her to lose her memory. Cristina Bonilla has also faced four concussions in her career till now. However, despite these setbacks, Bonilla’s dreams to ride continue to persist. As the athlete looks forward to making a comeback
Bonilla looking forward to making a comeback
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At the beginning of her career after working as a hotwalker and learning the basics of horseriding under Jimmy Miranda, Bonilla caught the attention of Randy Romero. The two were brought together after he saw a portrait of him and Bonilla’s other artwork online. And after watching Bonilla’s video on horseback, Romero agreed to become his agent. According to the Paulick report, “the two worked together at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana 2017, later Bonilla won her sixth mount, a runaway 11-length victory at a mile and 70 yards aboard Superstitious Swan.”
However, things took a different route when, two years later, Romero died due to battling several health issues in 2019 and Bonilla went on a ride on the Polytrack surface of Arlington Park in 2021. At the event, Bonilla rode a horse named Charlie’s Heir, who suffered a heart attack during the race, causing the jockey to fall on her head on the rough surfaces of the Polytrack. Three days later, the athlete woke up without any memory of how she ended up in the hospital.
However, only five weeks after the incident, the 37-year-old was spotted riding the horse trained by Wayne Catalano and eventually securing him a win. Currently, the jockey has been working with Domenick Schettino for three years and has developed a close bond with the trainer. Nonetheless, now the athlete is looking forward to more opportunities for herself in the arena of New York. To achieve the perfect comeback Bonilla is ready to pay 40 percent of his pay for the first year to the agent who can create opportunities for her in New York. The 37-year-old has been riding professionally since 2017.
Bonilla’s professional career till now
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Cristina Bonilla started her equestrian journey at the age of 24, The athlete began by hotwalking horses at Belmont Park for six months and galloping for about three years before gaining her license. However, despite facing the twists and turns of the hardship that come with the equestrian world the athlete continued to work toward achieving her goals and managed to secure her first win in 2017 while riding Superstitious Swan.
In an interview, while talking about her first win Bonilla revealed “I know it’s a feeling that will never get old. I was high on life everything I worked for came down to the moment.” Now after almost 6 years of experience, the athlete with a total earning of $346,183 has 392 starts under her name including 17 firsts. Interestingly, this year the athlete has only participated in one professional race with a total earnings of $1,290 till now.
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All in all, despite facing such gruesome injuries and back-to-back setbacks Bonilla’s dream to ride continues to persist. The equestrian enthusiasts will also surely love to see the jockey keep on maintaining her passion for the sport and successfully make a comeback in the arenas of New York.
Watch this story: Mastering Equestrian Anxiety: Five Powerful Mindset Techniques to Overcome Fear in Horse Riding
