Female Equestrian Trainer Marks ‘Historic Moment’ Upsetting Favorite Forte at the Last Race of the Triple Crown Series

This year at the horse races, there were some really spectacular moments for equestrian lovers. Mage, an underdog, emerged as the winner of the Kentucky Derby by defeating the odds-on favorites. No horse proved itself worthy of winning all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes), but yesterday’s Belmont Stakes race will live on in equine lore. Arcangelo, who was trained by Jena Antonucci, became the first horse trained by a female trainer to win the Belmont Stakes in the race’s 155-year history.

The Belmont Stakes’ official Twitter account announced the equestrian trainer’s historic win. Since this is one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of horse racing, it has already attracted thousands of views in less than a day after being posted.

Marking her name in the annals of equestrian sports

The Belmont Stakes, sponsored by NYRA Bets, is a Grade 1 event that has been conducted for 155 years. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is a three-day festival of world-class horse racing and pure entertainment and the last jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown. Thousands of horse racing enthusiasts, celebrities, and other notables attended the annual event at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Attendance at the park to witness the horses do the 1 and 1/2 mile test was quite high once again this year. The pre-race favorite, Forte, was also there and eager to make his mark after recovering from injuries sustained just before the Kentucky Derby.

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National Treasure, the winner of the Preakness Stakes, took the lead at the first bend, followed by Tapit Shoes, Hit Show, and Forte. It was then, just after the first bend, Arcangelo appeared between the horses and moved up to fourth position in the starting order. But as they rounded the last bend, the race took an unexpected turn. In the tense last moments of the race, Arcangelo passed the frontrunner. Despite his best efforts, fan-favorite Forte couldn’t catch up to Arcangelo’s gallop. Arcangelo finished the 1-1/2 mile test in 2 minutes, 29.23 seconds, beating the favorite Forte by a length and a half. The winning horse, ridden by Javier Castellano, ran a flawless race that made trainer Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win the Belmont Stakes in its 155th running.

Though she was the first female trainer to ever win the Belmont Stakes, Jena Antonucci was the eleventh trainer to train a horse for this race. The female trainer’s motto was “never give up,” and she and her horse, Arcangelo, certainly didn’t. The crowd’s reaction to the three-year-old colt’s victory must have been one of amazement, given that he had never competed in a grade 1 event before.

The wingless Pegasus that took the track by storm

A three-year-old colt named Arcangelo entered the racing scene in 2022. Trainer Jena Antonucci, who has banked a total of $6,380,455, was responsible for the horse’s success. This three-year-old horse was bred by the Don Alberto Corporation in Kentucky, USA.

After three attempts, the horse finally won the maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park, marking the beginning of a successful racing career. When Arcangelo won the Peter Pan Stakes (Gr. 3) at Belmont Park, he shocked the racing world and proved he was ready for the big time. The horse’s first victory in a Grade 1 stake came at the same track in the last race of the Triple Crown series, the Belmont Stakes, when it bested the pre-race favorite Forte. The horse would continue its racing career in 2023, having already earned $1,067,400.

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