| Jena Antonucci | |
|---|---|
 Antonucci in 2023 | |
| Occupation | Trainer |
| Born | 1975or1976(age 49–50) |
| Career winnings | $7,385,806 [1] |
| Career wins | 165+ (ongoing) [1] |
| Major racing wins | |
American Classics:
Graded Stakes Wins:
| |
| Significant horses | |
| Arcangelo, Doctor J Dub | |
Jena Antonucci (born 1975 or 1976) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. She is best known as the first woman to train a winner of an American Triple Crown race, having conditioned Arcangelo to victory in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. [2] [3] [4]
Antonucci learned about training thoroughbred horses under the guidance of Hall of Fame Trainer D. Wayne Lukas after riding and training show horses at a young age. [5] [6] She won her first career race as a trainer at Tampa Bay Downs on March 7, 2010. [1] Her first career graded stakes winner was Doctor J Dub, who won the Turf Monster Stakes at Parx Racing in 2016. [7]
In 2023 her three-year-old Arcangelo won the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park prior to competing in the Belmont Stakes, where he was Antonucci's first ever Grade 1 starter. [4] Arcangelo won the Belmont and then went on to win the Travers Stakes, making Antonucci the second female to win the Travers in its 154-year history. [8] As of her 2023 Travers victory, Antonucci has won 165 races with career earnings of over $7 million. [1]
Antonucci was awarded with the 2023 Big Sport of Turfdom Award by the Turf Publicists of America, [9] presented to individuals that enhance coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and racing publicists.
