France's Maryline Eon basically had the International Jockeys Challenge wrapped up after the first two races Feb. 23 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia.
The challenge is decided on points earned by finishing first through fifth in four races on the evening before the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) program. This year's event drew such international stars as Ryan Moore, Maxime Guyon, Lisa Allpress, Damien Oliver, and last year's winner, Luis Saez.
All of them were chasing Eon after she finished second in the first leg behind a breakaway winner, then produced a powerhouse win of her own in the second leg, scoring by 3 3/4 lengths. That was all she needed.
Saez got back into the competition with a victory in the third leg as the series switched from the dirt to turf, with Eon finishing seventh.
Camilo Ospina, perennially Saudi Arabia's leading jockey, won the first race in the competition and Rachel Venniker, South Africa's two-time apprentice champion and a graduate of that nation's Jockey Academy, cleaned things up with a victory in the fourth and final heat.
"To win this against the top jockeys in the world, I'm very proud," Eon said through an interpreter.
Eon has a solid foundation for her successful career. She started in dressage, took out an apprentice license at age 14 and raced both on the flat and over jumps before giving up the latter discipline in 2016 to concentrate on flat racing.
She was the first female jockey in the Prix de Diane (G1), finishing eighth in 2017, and has the top female riders in France since then.
Eon earned the $30,000 winner's share of the $100,000 total prize pool.
Ospina finished second with Victoria Mota third, Saez fourth, and Venniker fifth, giving female riders three of the top five spots.
Video
