Andrea Seefeldt
{{Short description|American racing jockey (born 1963)}}
Andrea Jean Seefeldt Knight (born May 31, 1963) is an retired American thoroughbred racing jockey who first competed between 1981 to 1994. At graded stakes races, she won two Grade II events and one Grade III event. In Triple Crown races, Seefeldt was sixteenth at the 1991 Kentucky Derby and seventh at the 1994 Preakness Stakes. She became "the third woman to ever ride in the Derby" and "the second female jockey in the Preakness".{{cite news |last1=Wade |first1=Don |title=Seefeldt rebounded to give herself brief glimpse of dream |work=The Evansville Courier |date=May 5, 1991 |page=B2}}{{cite news |title=Gin Win Luck |work=Daily News |agency=The Associated Press |date=May 22, 1994 |edition=Night Owl |location=New York |page=50}} Seefeldt Knight competed in a few races in the early 2010s before she stopped racing in 2014. She accumulated 605 wins and over $7 million in prize winnings.
Apart from racing, Seefeldt held administrative positions for Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in the late 1980s. She started her sporting clays shooting career in 2010. Seefeldt Knight won silver at the 2019 World English Sporting Championship held by the International Clay Target Shooting Federation. She was named All-America for the National Sporting Clays Association and Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse during the 2020s. Seefeldt Knight joined the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Early life
Seefeldt was born in Elmhurst, Illinois on May 31, 1963.{{cite news |title=Seefeldt at a Glance |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=May 12, 1994 |page=1C}} She grew up with show horses and her sibling.{{cite news |last1=Peddicord |first1=Ross |title=Staking Her Own Way |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=May 12, 1994 |page=1C}} As a child, "Seefeldt ... lived in Florida before settling in Maryland".{{cite news |title=Lady Legends riding into Pimlico sunset |url=https://www.wbaltv.com/article/lady-legends-riding-into-pimlico-sunset/7086930 |access-date=June 21, 2025 |work=WBAL-TV |date=May 12, 2014}}
Career
=Horse racing=
In 1981, Seefeldt started her thoroughbred racing career.{{cite news |title=Woman enjoys life as a jockey |work=The Evening Sun |date=September 27, 1984 |location=Hanover, Pennsylvania |page=sec. Sports p. 6}} She became a race winner that year for Delaware Park Racetrack. Seefeldt competed in Laurel Race Course and Penn National Race Course events as an apprentice jockey during 1982.{{cite news |title=Girls compete for riding crown |work=Niagara Falls Review |date=July 16, 1982 |page=10}} She was first at that year's Female Jockey Championship held at Fort Erie Race Track.{{cite news |title=Seefeldt Runs off Fort Title |work=The Buffalo News |date=July 18, 1982 |page=C-11}}
She experienced a vertebral compression fracture during 1984 and a pelvic fracture during 1988.{{cite news |last1=Horvath Jr. |first1=Nick |title=Good news, bad news afternoon at PN |work=The Patriot |date=August 13, 1984 |location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |page=D6}}{{cite news |last1=Frydenborg |first1=Kathryn |title=Women jockeys ride high |work=Sunday News |date=August 14, 1988 |location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania |page=E-1}} Seefeldt underwent physical therapy for her pelvis.{{cite news |last1=Morgan |first1=Jon |title=The Ride of Their Lives |work=The Sun |date=May 19, 1995 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |pages=1E-2E}} She stopped racing for several months after each injury.{{cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Jack |title=Injury only intensified Andrea Seefeldt's desire to ride |work=The Evening Sun |date=June 3, 1988 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |page=C5}} Seefeldt started working as a jockey agent in 1989 while continuing to race.{{cite news |title=Jockey Seefeldt gave herself a chance |work=Citizens' Voice |agency=Associated Press |date=May 6, 1991 |page=59}} Her inactivity continued after both a 1990 kidney injury and 1991 clavicle fracture.{{cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Jack |title=It takes more than racing's ups, downs to unseat Seefeldt |work=The Evening Sun |date=February 7, 1991 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |page=B2}}{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Kent |title=Seefeldt gets first win since comeback |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=March 13, 1992 |page=8D}}
Seefeldt competed at the International Queen Jockey Series in 1991.{{cite news |title=International Queen Jockey Series |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=September 30, 1991 |page=44}} She temporarily paused her racing career in 1993 for her honeymoon.{{cite news |last1=Peddicord |first1=Ross |title=Seefeldt's winning return |work=The Sun |date=March 6, 1993 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |page=15C}} During this time period, Seefeldt won the 1991 Pennsylvania Derby and 1992 Cotillion Handicap as a Grade II jockey. Her final graded stakes race victory was at the Grade III Martha Washington Stakes during 1993.{{cite web |title=Andrea Jean Seefeldt Graded Stakes Wins |url=https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=StakesListing&searchType=J&eID=1714&rbt=TB |website=Equibase |access-date=June 21, 2025}}
As part of the Triple Crown, Seefeldt filled in for Mark Johnston at the 1991 Kentucky Derby.{{cite news |last1=Durso |first1=Joseph |title=Derby champion strikes gold |work=The New Brunswick Telegraph Journal |agency=The New York Times |date=May 6, 1991 |page=13}}{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Ann |title=Last-place finish boon to Seefeldt's career |work=The Park City Daily News |agency=Associated Press |date=May 5, 1991 |page=4-B}} After she was sixteenth at the event, she became "the third woman to ever ride in the Derby".{{cite news |title=The 117th Kentucky Derby |work=El Paso Times |agency=Associated Press |date=May 5, 1991 |page=8D}} Seefeldt expanded her Triple Crown experience by competing at the 1994 Preakness Stakes. She was seventh at the event and was "the second female jockey in the Preakness".{{cite news |title=How they finished |work=The Cincinnati Post |agency=Scripps Howard News Service |date=May 23, 1994 |page=8C}}
Seefeldt started a sabbatical during 1995.{{cite news |last1=Peddicord |first1=Ross |title='Breeders' challenge is mixed bag |work=The Sun |date=April 23, 1995 |location=Baltimore, Maryland}} She became interested in racing during 2010. Seefeldt Knight entered a few races in the early 2010s before she stopped racing again in 2014.{{cite web |last1=Janack |first1=Phil |title=Retired Jockey Andrea Seefeldt Knight Gets Fired Up For New Career |url=https://paulickreport.com/news/people/retired-jockey-andrea-seefeldt-knight-gets-fired-up-for-new-career |website=Paulick Report |publisher=Maryland Jockey Club |access-date=June 25, 2025 |date=May 8, 2025}} After her career ended, Seefeldt had 605 wins and accumulated over $7 million in prize winnings.{{cite web |title=Jockey Profile {{pipe}} Andrea Jean Seefeldt |url=https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=People&searchType=J&eID=1714 |website=Equibase |access-date=June 25, 2025}}
=Additional positions=
Seefeldt was a clerk-typist and secretary for Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in the late 1980s.{{cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Jack |title=Back in action |work=The Evening Sun |date=February 17, 1989 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |page=E8}} She became a sporting clays shooter during 2010.{{cite news |last1=Coffin |first1=Nelson |title=True G.R.I.T.S. |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=July 16, 2015 |at=sec. The North County News pp. 12-13}} Seefeldt Knight competed at the 2013 North America Cup Sporting held by the Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse.{{cite web |title=Résultats North America championship Finale North America Cup Sporting |website=Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse |url=https://www.fitasc.com/fr/resultats-pdf?competitionID=535&shooter-type=individuel&categorie=8&shootercat= |access-date=June 25, 2025 |page=4}} As an International Clay Target Shooting Federation competitor, Seefeldt won silver in the Lady division during the 2019 World English Sporting Championship.{{cite web |title=English Sporting Results |url=https://www.ictsf.net/esp-cbvv |website=International Clay Target Shooting Federation |access-date=June 25, 2025}} Seefeldt Knight planned a "Delmarva chapter of ... Girls Really Into Shooting" in 2015 as a co-creator.Coffin 2015, p. 12
Honors and personal life
Seefeldt Knight was named All-America for the National Sporting Clays Association in 2022 and the FITASC in 2024.{{cite web |title=Perazzi 12 Gauge All-Americans |url=https://nsca.nssa-nsca.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/04/Perazzi-12GA-AA-2022-1-1.pdf |website=National Sporting Clays Association |access-date=June 25, 2025 |page=1 |date=April 2022}}{{cite web |title=Congratulations to All 2024 B&P 12 Gauge FITASC All-Americans! |url=https://nsca.nssa-nsca.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/04/2024-BP-FITASC-All-American.pdf |website=National Sporting Clays Association |access-date=June 25, 2025 |date=April 2024}} She joined the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.{{cite web |title=Honorees |url=https://aacshof.org/honorees/ |website=Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=June 25, 2025}} During the late 1980s, Seefeldt was in a marriage and had a divorce.{{cite news |last1=Eisenberg |first1=John |title=For Seefeldt, just being in saddle is success enough |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=May 11, 1991 |pages=1C, 11C}} She started a marriage during 1992.{{cite news |last1=Peddicord |first1=Ross |title=For richer or poorer, bride loses mount |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=May 30, 1992 |page=12C}}