Back in the Saddle Again : Mary Russ, 39, the First Female Jockey to Win a Major Stake, Returns to Thoroughbred Racing After Having Three Children

Not many jockeys have seen their weight balloon to 155 pounds and then lost enough to resume riding.

Mary Russ has seen 155 twice in recent years and then been able to drop back down to under 115. She now is riding at Gulfstream Park after taking six years off to have three babies, the first twins who were born in 1986.

Russ, who didn’t come from a racing background, didn’t begin riding until 25. She became the first female jockey to win a major race. And now, after two pregnancies, she is back in the saddle.

It is left for others to remind Russ, 39, about how unusual her career has been. When she discusses it, as she did recently between races at Gulfstream, Russ trivializes her accomplishments. Her demeanor is low key.

In 1982, the third year she rode, Russ won the Widener Handicap, a Grade I race, at nearby Hialeah with Lord Darnley. The same year, she became the first woman to lead a major race meeting when she finished first in the standings for the Tropical Park-at-Calder season. At the end of year, Russ had won 84 races and her mounts had earned $1.3 million.

Lord Darnley gave Russ another major victory in 1982 when they teamed to win the Gulfstream Park Handicap. Russ continued to ride successfully on the South Florida circuit into 1986, the year that she and her husband, blacksmith Richard Tortora, became the parents of twins.

The January day that Russ learned of the pregnancy, she rode out the card and won the last race of the day, perhaps the only jockey to win a race while expecting twins. The pregnancy milestone for jockeys may still belong to the late Mary Bacon, however. Bacon once rode while pregnant, and the filly under her was in foal. “All four of us finished up the track,” Bacon said.

Before last Christmas, Russ had three children to rear and had given no thought to returning to the track. But on the holiday, Tortora gave her a card that said he would fully support her if she wanted to try riding again. Surprised by his notion, Russ wondered whether her husband was really sincere or had only been overcome by seasonal generosity.

“I waited until the next day, the day after Christmas,” Russ said, “to ask him if he really meant the things he said in the card. When he said that he did, I went ahead with my plans to go back to the track.”

Russ has won five races at the Gulfstream meet, the first and the most important a victory by a nose aboard Boots ‘N Buck in the $50,000 Hail Hilarious Handicap. Other jockeys had been riding Boots ‘N Buck with little success before Russ’ father-in-law, Manny Tortora, gave her the mount for the Feb. 10 race. Boots ‘N Buck paid $63.80, and after the race Tortora said: “She picked a heck of a time to break her maiden.”

That was Russ’ first victory since January of 1986; overall, she has more than 300 victories. “I never got discouraged,” he said. “I knew it (the first victory of her comeback) was going to happen. But winning that first one in a stakes race, that made it even better.”

After graduating from a Tampa, Fla., high school, Mary Russ went to Ocala, Fla., to work on a farm because she liked horses. Russ was content breaking yearlings, but after seeing her first race, she wanted to ride.

Russ graduated from an apprentice to a journeyman in 1982, the year she became the first woman to earn more than $1 million in purses. One of the first trainers to use her in important races was Roger Laurin, who trained Lord Darnley.

After the twins, Richard and Barbara, were born prematurely, Russ went back to Ocala to break yearlings. The twins are now 6 1/2 and a second son, Justin, is 3.

The Russes juggle their hours, Mary exercising horses in the mornings, usually at Calder Race Course, while Richard watches the children. When Mary is home, Richard schedules his shoeing appointments.

Barbara Russ was introduced to a pony when she was 2 and now, though only in kindergarten, rides almost every day. “If she wants to become a jockey, that will be all right with me,” Mary Russ said. “But I won’t push her in any direction. The main thing is that she finishes (high) school, before she decides to do anything.”

Young Richard Russ has shown no early interest in horses. The sport he likes is baseball.

Mary Russ, 5 feet 4, has had no weight problem since the children were born. “Once I got my weight down, I stayed there,” she said. “I don’t have to diet. I get a lot of exercise, and I eat healthy foods.”

Russ had been riding about five weeks before she won with Boots ‘N Buck. “She must have wanted it pretty bad,” said Jerry Bailey, who also rode in the race. “I could hear her screaming at the horse all the way down the stretch.”

The day after Russ won the 1982 Widener, a teen-aged apprentice at Bowie in Maryland won four races. Julie Krone was on her way, and now she is the leading jockey at Gulfstream and one of the top riders in the country.

“I opened up some doors when I started out,” Russ said.