Jockey Madeline Rowland wins 100th race
Jockey Madeline Rowland celebrated a career milestone at Laurel Park after she guided Winning Trip to a front-running victory in Saturday's second race, a $25,000 starter allowance for 3-year-olds and upward.
Rowland, 22, reached the 100th winner of her career when Winning Trip crossed the finish line first.
"I've wanted it for a time, but I haven't stressed about it because it would come," Rowland said after conferring with Winning Trip's trainer, Michael Gorham.
"He's been great," Rowland said about Gorham. "When you're going through the motions of this sport, you want people like Mike to come to you, to give you a shot, to believe in you because you can feel low. But if there's someone to put you on those horses, it brings you right back up."
Rowland and Gorham's relationship has come full circle. Rowland's first career ride came aboard the Gorham-trained Joyce G. on Oct. 23, 2021.
"I've known Maddie for a time," Gorham said. "She rides well. She does everything right. She knows where to position them, and she's a smart rider. Obviously, the horses run for her. She helps us in the morning. She breezes a lot of horses over the summer. We've been lucky. Our percentage has to be good this year."
The trainer's math checks out. After Winning Trip's victory, the Rowland-Gorham combination boasts a 2025 record of eight wins from 26 starts.
Rowland comes from a racing family. Her late father, steeplechase trainer Paul Rowland, saddled numerous quality runners, including multiple stakes winner Preemptive Strike.
Her first win occurred at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 10, 2021. She enjoyed a career year as an apprentice in 2022, winning 56 races for $1,364,480.
Rowland has been open about some of her emotional struggles over the past few years.
"A lot of jockeys go through the ups and downs, even trainers," she said. "It has to be your identity. I took being a jockey as my identity. I took it seriously, which it is serious, but it's not that serious. What I had to learn was to enjoy each trip, each journey, instead of worrying about how it's going to go. Because you worry a lot about how it's going to go, how you're going to perform, how you're going to pick up a slow horse and make it fast. You think about that kind of stuff, but then you get an opportunity like Mike's been giving me, and it makes you look back and realize that God's going to send you someone to help you out."