Female jockey Georgina Sergeon does not pay any attention to her detractors. - photos by Peta-Gaye Clachar/Freelance Photographer

Chipped blue nail polish and dusty riding boots are a stark contrast to her neatly shaven eyebrows and braided hair, initially covered with a trendy, crocheted tam.

Georgina Sergeon, 18, is an ordinary girl by the looks of it. However, one thing sets her apart. She is the only professional female jockey riding in Jamaica.

At 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 99 pounds, she fits the bill of the average jockey, but being a girl in the business makes her far from average.

Azel Cowie preceded her in 1991 by becoming the first professional female jockey in Jamaica. Sergeon is the only other female since, and that is certainly not a deterrent.

"I thought if Julie Krone did it, then I can have the opportunity to further my riding skills," Sergeon told Flair.

Krone is Sergeon's inspiration. The American female jockey retired in April 1999 and had more than 3,500 victories and earned more than $81 million during her career. She pioneered as a jockey and is the first female to be inducted into the National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.

Male approach

"She approached the thing more like a male than a female. She tek it serious," she said.

Unlike Krone, Sergeon is only at the beginning. She started riding professionally on September 2 and is yet to win a race. However, she is confident that she will be a good jockey.

The past student of Kellits High in Clarendon has always loved animals. Her love for horses, however, came when her guardian, Samuel McClarty, a horse owner, came into her life two years ago.

"I just saw it and liked it," she said of being around racing. The best part of it?

"The speed," she noted.

Georgina Sergeon has the privacy of her own special quarters at the track.

Her training begins in the wee hours of the morning. She gets up at 4 a.m. and gets to the track by 4:30 a.m. to work until about 10 a.m. She then goes home to rest and eat. At 2, it's back to the track until 5 p.m. Then she hits the gym from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. She trains, on average, four times per week. Her changing facilities are separate. "I have my own room and everything to my comfort, my own facilities," she said.

Resistance

Resistance has come along the way. Her mother thinks racing is a male sport. Other participants have uttered their disapproval.

"They will tell you things to make you get out. Dem seh yuh can't ride, or go back to what you were doing before," she said.

This, she believes, is a deterrent for females who want to enter the sport.

"It's not easy as a female going through. You have to have someone behind you every step of the way or you won't make it," she explained.

Admittedly, the negatives have affected her but she has learnt to overcome them.

"Because I don't let anything trouble me, I hear but I'm not listening," she said.

For the most part, individuals have reacted positively towards her. "Everybody loves me," she said with a smile, and fellow jockey, Omar Walker, has also given her many words of encouragement.

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