Trailblazing female jockey Francine Villeneuve finally reached her milestone – just in time.
On Monday, the second-last day of the Fort Erie racetrack meeting, Villenueve won her 1,000th race aboard the speedy Red Hot Doll in the $30,000 Fan's Stakes.
Villeneuve has won more races than any other female jockey in Canada, and is still ahead of stars Emma-Jayne Wilson and Chantal Sutherland.
Born in Ottawa, Villeneuve was also the first female jockey to ride in the Queen's Plate when she earned the mount on the filly, Wilderness Song, which finished second to stablemate Dance Smartly at the race in 1991. Villeneuve at the time had been riding for only four years.
After a four-year hiatus tending to son Aaron and living in Florida with farrier husband Bruce Anderson, Villeneuve made a riding comeback last season to try to reach the 1,000 mark. At the time she had 934 wins.
She says she'll ride one more day – the final day of the Fort Erie meeting is today (Tuesday) – and then she will retire from riding.
The 1,000-win milestone is "a big one for all riders, let alone women," Villeneuve said.
In 2005, she finished second by a nose in Fort Erie's premier race, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes with Autumn Snow, a 16 to 1 shot, leaving heavily favoured Queen's Plate winner Wild Desert in her wake.
She has also ridden in two Breeders Cup races and she won the Avelino Gomez award, given to Canadian jockeys who have made a difference in the sport.
"If I could be considered an inspiration to other female jockeys, it would make my career meaningful and important," she said at the time.
She has ridden in more than 8,100 races and mounts she has ridden have earned more than $15-million.