In addition to being a horse lover and GTA local, Emma-Jayne Wilson is arguably Canada’s top female jockey. In 2007, Wilson became the first woman to win the prestigious Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack, and last year, she celebrated her 1,000th career victory. Post City spoke to Wilson about the 154th Queen’s Plate race this month and the future of Ontario horse racing.
Will you be competing this year?
As of right now, I believe so. With horse racing, it generally can be a little challenging, especially a race of that calibre. You always want to give yourself every option, so I’ve got a few options that are aiming toward the Queen’s Plate. They [the horses] still need to kinda prove themselves worthy and then kinda hash out which particular horse I’ll be riding.
What’s the closest approximation to the feeling you get when the gate opens and the race begins?
I don’t think there’s anything that comes close to that. I really don’t. I mean, I’m a bit of a sports junkie: I played rugby through high school, I grew up playing fast-pitch, I do a lot of different activities — water skiing, skiing, you name it, I’ve tried it — and honestly there is no feeling out there of being on the back of, you know, a highly tuned 1,100-pound athlete whose sheer will and desire is to go and to go as fast as they can. There’s no way to compare that to anything at all.
What do you look for when choosing a horse — speed or overall performance?
When you’re looking for a Plate mount — for a quality Plate horse — you’re looking for a combination of a horse that’s going to be able to handle all those things, the distance, the weight, whether that horse is talented enough at this young point in his career or her career to take on such high-calibre horses.… So it’s very much a challenge to find a Queen’s Plate mount, let alone one that you could potentially win the race with as well.
It’s been tough times for the horse racing industry in Ontario. Are you optimistic about the future?
I would say yes, we’re very resilient people. And I have confidence in government and city council and the people that are in power to make those decisions. I’m confident that our voices will be heard and that the right decision will be made. That’s something I truly believe in my heart. Yeah, there is a hint of apprehension, hoping that they do hear our voices and that horse racing in Ontario — and thus in Canada — doesn’t get killed in the process of politics.
The 154th running of the Queen’s Plate, Woodbine Racetrack, July 7, www.woodbineentertainment.com.