Apprentice jockey Miller happy to be back after long recovery

The $5,000 claiming race that began Monday’s card at Laurel Park took only a minute and 38 seconds to complete, but jockey Jenn Miller had put in hundreds, if not thousands, of hours preparing for what was undoubtedly the biggest race of her life. And even though she finished second aboard Moneymeister, Miller walked away a huge winner.

Moneymeister was Miller’s first mount since Green Time in the second race at Charles Town on Nov. 25, 2017. Green Time set the pace to the stretch before weakening to finish fifth, beaten two lengths. He broke down just after the finish line, throwing Miller, who appeared to be struck by a trailing horse. She came out of the accident with a serious brain injury and a broken jaw.

Fast forward six months to Preakness week 2018. Miller had made great strides in her recovery and spent mornings in the Pimlico clubhouse, wearing jockey silks with an equicizer as a prop, giving presentations to local school children about what it is like to be a jockey. The kids loved it, Miller seemed fine, and it appeared she would soon be back in the saddle on a real horse, whipping and driving in a real race.

“At that point, I didn’t think I was that far away from riding again, but just like every step of this process, it took me much longer to recover than I thought,” Miller said. “After I was hurt, I thought I would return for turf season last spring, then it was by Preakness, then it was after Timonium. Then it was by the end of turf season.

“As each date came around and I wasn’t ready, I realized this was a bigger deal than I thought.”

But Miller persevered, making progress a little at a time.

She began getting on horses at Laurel in November. Since January, she’s worked for Wayne Potts, always one of her biggest supporters and the trainer of both Green Time and Moneymeister.

“For the first few months, I jogged, then I galloped more and jogged less,” Miller said. “Then I got so I could gallop a few. Then on breeze days, I could do six instead of just one.

“At every step along the way, people would ask, ‘Why are you doing this?’ It’s just that I love the sport and can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Miller, a 34-year-old Massachusetts native, comes from a dressage background and competed at a national level before becoming a jockey. Following a series of amateur races, she made her professional debut at Keeneland in October 2016.

Her apprenticeship went well, and she won 53 times while primarily riding at Laurel. Miller’s promising start came to an abrupt halt that night at Charles Town.

“There are going to be a few months after the accident that I am never going to remember,” she said. “But now my balance is good again, and my day-to-day memory is back to normal.”

Miller said she feels “very fortunate for her support network,” which helped her through the tough times. She has reunited with her former agent Ronnie Gerardo.

Miller still has about a month and a half left as a five-pound apprentice before she becomes a journeyman rider. She hopes to make good use of it.

“I was ecstatic to ride in that race Monday, to gallop out past the wire, pull my horse up, and have a full conversation with the outrider without being as tired as I anticipated,” she said. “I feel fantastic.”