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Brenda Silvina Hernandez
The First Female Jockey to Win a Quarter Horse Race at the Hipodromo de las Americas
by Luis Prieto Zamudio, English Translation by Speedhorse
July 2, 2023, will be recorded in the Very moved by the victory, she expressed her by MVZ Rafael Alfredo Jasso Farías, who is
history of the Hipodromo de las Américas Racetrack as the date on which a woman won a Quarter Horse race for the first time. That woman is Brenda Silvina Hernández, who rode the bay filly Seattle Spec Cartel and went to the winner’s circle to receive recognition from the public and from many of her friends and followers. A week earlier on June 25, “Bivi” as she is affectionately known in the equestrian world, made her debut and finished in third place, over Talismán Cartel.
Hernández began riding Quarter Horses six years ago in unofficial, match races. Two years ago, she expanded to Thoroughbred horses at the Hipodromo de las Américas itself, now covering a wide field within her profession as a jockey.
At only 19 years of age, she is originally from Tulancingo, State of Hidalgo (in the center of the country). She later settled in the neighboring town of Ixmilquilpan, but currently lives in Cuautitlán Izcalli, State of Mexico, “to be closer to the racetrack.”
gratitude to those who made her debut possible and gave her the confidence to ride horses, to the stewards and especially to the Seattle Spec Cartel’s trainer Ismael Parra Martínez, and her agent Pedro Saavedra Jr. She also encouraged other women to venture into horse racing as she and the six other female jockeys who ride Thoroughbreds at the racetrack have already done, and she will continue to ride.
In the interview, she also highlighted that she felt calmer in this race than in the first one, since she had started and galloped the filly before. She also says that she has dedicated this victory to the memory of her uncle Aarón Aguilar. “He has been very proud of me since I won with the Thoroughbreds. I know that he is to this day, and that he always watches over me from heaven,” she commented.
After her first Quarter Horse triumph, the services of “Bivi” increased. As of this writing, her overall record is 2-2-7 in 17 starts this season, including Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred.
Seattle Spec Cartel is a two-year-old filly born Feb. 8, 2021, at Rancho San Patricio, owned
also the owner of her dam Intriguing Lady, a Thoroughbred daughter of Chief Seattle, who in turn is the son of the prestigious stallion Seattle Slew, winner of more than $1.2 million.
In her two previous outings, she competed in the México Futurity and the Garañones trials, finishing fourth in both. This time, it was a maiden race at 250 yards “for two-year- old Quarter Horses born in Mexico who have never won, who have not registered a speed index of 70 or more and who have participated in at least one race.”
The filly started from position 7 without any problem and it was in the final yards where she was dominant, to prevail by neck over Metallica Buddy, responding very well to the demands
of “Bivi”. She covered the distance in :13.45. The filly is trained by Ismael Parra Martínez, who conditions her on behalf of his Cuadra Hermanos Parra.
The prize for the race was $95,900 pesos (approximately $5,456 US), of which 60% was credited to the winner’s account.
158 SPEEDHORSE August 2023