ESPN Horse Racing

Zoe Cadman didn't stay long in England, just long enough to realize she'd never get a chance in a country that has never opened its arms to aspiring young jockeys, especially aspiring young women jockeys. That's why she left home, traveled to a foreign country and exercised horses for six long years while waiting to get her working papers in proper order. All these years later, she's proving she made the right decision.

Though riding professionally for less than three months, Cadman, a spunky 26-year-old, appears to be one of the most promising apprentices in the country. She won with her very first mount and has since made headway while riding against some pretty tough competition at Arlington. Could she be the next Julie Krone? Anything's possible, at least here in the land of opportunity. Cadman, who was born in South Africa but moved to England when she was six, ventured to Newmarket, England when she was 17, hoping to get established. Instead, she grew frustrated, working for poor wages as an exercise rider and seeing little hope that she could become a top class jockey. "In England, I had no chance," she said. "There are some good girl riders in England but most are married to trainers or come from money. It's not what you know but who you know. For any jockey there, it's not a good existence unless you are one of the few at the top of the heap. I paid my dues there, working 12 hours a day and got paid very poorly." Unwilling to accept her circumstances, Cadman packed up in 1994 and arrived on the doorstep of countryman Michael Dickinson, whose stable is based in Maryland. Working for him as an exercise rider, it didn't take her long to figure out this was the place to be. "Michael paid me $220 a week and I thought I was in heaven," she said. While working for Dickinson, she had her first encounter with Krone. "I had never heard of her in England," she said. "It wasn't until I came here to work for Michael Dickinson that I knew who she was. I was in the paddock at Saratoga with one of Michael's horses when I first saw her. The first thing I thought was, 'My goodness, she's even shorter than I am.'" Her arrival at Dickinson's stable began a frustrating chain of events that taught Cadman the value of patience and the virtues of perseverance. She scrambled around the U.S., working for trainers Chris Speckert and then Michael Stidham, all the while trying to deal with the red tape involved with working in a foreign country. "It was frustrating having to wait, but looking back on it now it really helped me, especially working with Chris Speckert," Cadman said. "I learned patience. His horses were geared to come from off the pace and that's the way I prefer to ride. It also gave me the time to meet a lot of people." After galloping horses for Stidham last winter at Fair Grounds, she followed him to Arlington and accepted her first mount June 10. She had no experience, no whip and no problems. Patiently waiting off the pace early, she guided a horse named Prize and Joy to a 1 3/4-length win. Less than a month later and with her career headed in the right direction, she broke her pelvis in a mishap in the starting gate and missed about five weeks. That could have derailed her momentum, but she picked right back up when returning Aug. 16. She won eight races during the next three weeks and had an overall record of 13-for-92 through Sept. 7. She does a good job," said trainer Dave Wood, who put Cadman on her second career winner. "She gets along nicely with a horse. I've put her on some horses that were giving other riders trouble. That may be a woman's touch. We've been very happy with her." Unlike many apprentices she's not overeager on a horse. Cadman's forte is to come from off the pace, a sign she's more polished than most bugs. "I learned that from all my years galloping," she said. "Some apprentices don't know any better. I was delighted when I won a race gate to wire the other day. I realized I could do it that way, too." Cadman is just getting started. She does not lose her apprentice allowance until August, 2001 and hopes that she's laid the groundwork for an Eclipse Award campaign. After Arlington closes, she will ride at Hawthorne before heading back to Fair Grounds with Stidham. From there, who knows? One thing, though is for sure--she's here to stay.