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For the first time in its history, a female trainer has won the Belmont Stakes. Jena Antonucci and her horse Arcangelo landed in the winner’s circle on Saturday in the 155th edition of the race.
Antonucci’s reaction to seeing her horse come out victorious was caught on video, and it’s now going viral on social media.
Arcangelo entered the race with 7-1 odds and left with a convincing win. The horse pulled away from its competition late, coming from behind the pack to overtake early leader National Treasure.
A late challenge from favorite Forte kept things interesting, but in the end, Arcangelo was too strong to take down. The win was a historic one for Jena Antonucci, who’s now the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown event.
Her reaction is absolutely electric.
For the first time in its 155-year history, a female trainer has won the Belmont Stakes. Watch as @jenaantonucci reacts to her horse Arcangelo winning @BelmontStakes. #Belmont #BelmontStakes pic.twitter.com/06Mc3My9AR
— America’sBestRacing (@ABRLive) June 11, 2023
Antonucci’s emotion is on her sleeve in this moment as she willed her horse to a win. You can feel how invested she is, and she’s almost at a loss for words after seeing the final result.
After the race, Antonucci said, “I don’t have words right now. We’re just soaking all this in and just so proud of the horse right now… If you can’t get a seat at the table, make your own table.”
Her hard work certainly paid off, to the tune of $900,000, and many around the sports world are taking note.
Fans and media rushed to social media to post reactions to Antonucci’s big win. Here’s what they had to say.
One person wrote, “What a moment! Your name will be remembered forever.”
Someone else said, “This is awesome!! I love when history is made.”
This fan loved Antonucci’s reaction, commenting, “If these rooting videos don’t get your blood pumping, you shouldn’t be in the sport. Amazing!”
Jena Antonucci will now go down in the history books. Congratulations to her and her team!