Woman Jockey Returns to ‘Stay’

More than a year after becoming the first woman to ride a winner at Santa Anita in a decade, Joy Scott is finally back on track.

Scott, who dropped out of horse racing a year ago because of marital problems, resumed her career last June, riding the fair circuit in California to get in shape. She then moved back to Los Angeles and began working at Santa Anita in December.

“I’m here to stay,” said Scott, 30, who grew up in the Sunland area. “I think I can keep rolling this time.”

Her yearlong hiatus prevented her from capitalizing on the two winners she rode at the track in the fall of 1987 and her current comeback has been slow but promising.

Since late December, she has ridden five horses, all longshots. Her best finish was a show aboard Star Ribot, which paid $11.40. She was given the reins only after two other jockeys were unable to ride.

Scott works mornings at the Pomona Fairgrounds, riding horses that are stabled there but race at Santa Anita. She hopes to find an agent, “someone who’s serious about a woman jockey,” she said.

A self-described “gypsy” who seldom stayed at one track for long, Scott realizes that consistency is important--she has to be available. “Even if it’s slow for me, I have to be there every day. I even had the flu and still showed up.”

A complication in Scott’s career is her 20-month-old son, Jesse. Because her husband is currently in Mexico, Scott is raising the baby herself, which often means taking him to the track if she can’t find a baby-sitter.

“Everybody has been helpful and patient with me,” she said, referring to her morning job. “They let me come to the track later than usual because of the baby.”

But she is determined to become a regular jockey at Santa Anita. “I will do it,” she promises.