Female jockey makes history becoming first woman to ride European Derby winner
A female jockey has made racing history by becoming the first woman to ride the winner of one of Europe's major Derbys.
Nina Baltromei was the reigning champion amateur rider of Germany and was having her first mount in the £561,000 German Derby in Hamburg on Sunday.
She was riding regular mount Hochkönig, trained by Yasmin Almenräder, who was sent off at odds of 183-10 in the 1m4f Group 1 race on the back of a last time out second place in a Group 2 contest in Cologne.
Baltromei had to ride a patient race from a position in rear and towards the inside of the 17 runner field. Her mount still had plenty of ground to make up with a furlong and a half to run but Hochkönig finished strongly to catch British runner Convergent in the final stride.
The photo-finish print confirmed Hochkönig had edged the verdict by a short head from the Karl Burke-trained runner-up.
Baltromei, whose later father Walter was a successful trainer, achieved the landmark success 46 years after the first woman rode in the race. She was dowsed in champagne by fellow jockeys afterwards.
"This is breathtaking, I don't know what to say," said the jockey who turned professional last month. 'I hadn't realised I'd won. It's absolutely amazing to be able to experience it like this.
'I want to thank everyone. So many people supported me. A real fan club has formed. Hochkönig is such a great horse. He drives like a car. It's an indescribable feeling.
Almenräder, who also saddled the winner of the German 2,000 Guineas earlier this year, became only the second female trainer to win Germany's most important race.
'I'm speechless and overwhelmed by both horse and rider,' she said. 'Nina handled it so incredibly intelligently today. I was gasping for breath all the way. The whole field was in front of us. It takes a lot to achieve what she did today.
'Hochkönig has everything a racehorse needs. I couldn't believe he was in front at the finish. At first he couldn't keep up with the pace, but Nina did everything right. I have the utmost respect for her composure.
'It's amazing how both of them came from so far back as winners.'
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