Katherine Ritvo
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Katherine "Kathy" Ritvo (born February 13, 1969) is a race horse trainer who won the
Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...
in 2013 with
Mucho Macho Man Mucho Macho Man (foaled June 15, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic. He was foaled in Florida and named after the Village People song " Macho Man". His breeders were Carole and John Rio of Flori ...
after having finished a close second in the same race in 2012. She is the first woman to have trained a winner of that race. She also was only the fifth woman trainer to win any
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...
race, and was the 14th woman trainer to saddle a starter in the
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
in the 137 years that race had been run by 2011. Born Kathy Petro, she grew up in a horse racing family from Massachusetts and married a fellow horseman, Tim Ritvo, in 1990. Kathy and Tim ran a race horse training operation in Florida, and In 2010 she took it over solo when Tim became part of the management of
Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...
race track. Her accomplishments came against the backdrop of having been diagnosed with
cardiomyopathy Cardiomyopathy is a group of primary diseases of the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. A ...
in 2001 and receiving a
heart transplant A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedure is to take a functioning heart ...
in 2008. In spite of the medication regime and
immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity ...
issues that transplant recipients face, she lives a normal life as a horse trainer and shows no signs of organ rejection.


Background and early career

Ritvo was born February 13, 1969, to Peter and Mary Petro. Her family was involved in horse racing, and she was raised in
Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree () is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is officially known as a town, but Braintree is a city with a mayor-council form of government, and it is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The populat ...
. Her parents owned race horses, and after other small business ventures, her father purchased a race track. Her three brothers all established horse racing careers: Michael became a race horse trainer and brothers Louis and Nick became
jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
s. Ritvo herself is jockey-sized, standing only 4' 11", and weighing under 100 pounds. She worked for her father as a teenager as a
groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and Groomsman, ...
, hot walker and exercise rider. She became a licensed trainer when she was 18. Her nephew, Nick Petro, Jr., works for her today as an exercise rider. She met Tim Ritvo in her teens when he was a
jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
and they both worked at
Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to cre ...
racetrack. Tim and Kathy married in 1990 and soon thereafter moved to Florida, which they viewed as a better place to make a living in the horse racing industry. Tim and Kathy became race horse trainers, and today Tim is the president of
Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...
. Their permanent residence is now
Davie, Florida Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 census, making it the largest town in Florida by population. Davie is a principal town of the Miami metropol ...
, a suburb of
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
. The couple have two children, Dominique, born in 1992, and Michael, now a jockey, born in 1994. Between 1990 and 1998, Kathy Ritvo trained 150 winning horses, including stakes winners.


Heart condition

Ritvo developed
cardiomyopathy Cardiomyopathy is a group of primary diseases of the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. A ...
, which had killed her brother Louis at the age of 38, as well as her father at age 73. She had been plagued by unusual fatigue since 1998, and her heart condition was formally diagnosed in January, 2001. She began taking medication and trained on a limited basis from 2003 to 2005, starting about 100 horses in that period, with 15 wins. However, her condition deteriorated. She started only one horse in 2005 and had no starters from 2006 until 2009. In 2008, at the age of 39, she was placed on a waiting list for a heart transplant. After a seven-month wait, an organ became available on November 13, 2008, and Ritvo received her new heart that day in an operation that lasted 17 hours. She had been hospitalized for most of the previous six months, and at the time of her surgery her doctors assessed her as having only about two weeks to live. She was discharged from the hospital seven days after her surgery. She later gave a letter to the hospital to pass on to the organ donor's family, but has never heard from them. Ritvo has stated that she wants the donor's family to know she is thankful for her new heart, but respects their privacy. Since the transplant, Ritvo shows no signs of organ rejection, keeping to a regimen of over 30 pills a day but otherwise living a normal life.


Return to race horse training

Ritvo's doctors advised her not to return to work in the horse racing industry because of the risks to her
immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...
posed by the dirt and dust that is part of the environment. Nonetheless, in spite of medical warnings, she returned to horse training within six months, and was credited for saddling four starters in 2009. Though immunity is a concern for transplant recipients, Ritvo remains healthy even though surrounded by horses, dogs, and all of the conditions typical of horse stables. In 2010, starting horses in 53 races for the year, she also took over the training of then-two-year-old Mucho Macho Man when her husband Tim stopped training horses because he began working as part of the management at
Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...
. Working with owners
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing Reeves Thoroughbred Racing is a horse racing partnership headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, formed in 2009 by Dean and Patti Reeves. The stable and ownership partners are the owners of 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man. In Septem ...
, the horse ran in the
2011 Kentucky Derby The 2011 Kentucky Derby was the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, on May 7. The race was won by Animal Kingdom, ridden by John Velazquez, trained by H. Graham Motion and owned by Team Valor. "ESPN Animal Kingdom wins 137th Derby" ESPN.g ...
. Ritvo was only the 14th woman to train a horse entered in the
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
in the 137 years it had been run to that date, and the third-place finish of the horse was the best for a woman trainer in the history of the race. She kept her perspective: "I'm so proud to be in the Derby, but just to get up in the morning is amazing." She next ran Mucho Macho Man in the other two legs of the Triple Crown, the 136th Preakness Stakes and the 143rd Belmont Stakes, where he finished sixth and seventh respectively. Only 13 women trainers had saddled a starter prior to the 2011 Preakness, and Ritvo was only the 10th woman trainer to start a horse in the Belmont. Mucho Macho Man had overcome his own health problems in order to race, including having appeared to be lifeless at birth. Comparing her own experiences to the horse, Ritvo stated, "From the moment I opened my eyes, I felt fantastic. He's Mucho Macho Man and I'm Macho Woman." She raced Mucho Macho Man in 2012, when he won three
graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...
s. She ran horses in 48 races that year, hitting the board 19 times. Her highest profile race that year occurred when Mucho Macho Man was a close second by a half-
length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit for length is chosen, ...
in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic. In 2013, Ritvo ran Mucho Macho Man in assorted races in the eastern U.S., then moved him to
Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...
in early September, almost two months before the
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...
races, because she felt he "thrived" in California. She entered him in the late September
Awesome Again Stakes The Goodwood Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old or older over the distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt, scheduled annually in September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. His ...
, where he earned his first Grade I win and free entry fees for the Breeders' Cup Classic. At the Classic in early November, going off as the second favorite, the horse won by a nose. With the win, Ritvo became the first woman trainer to win the
Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...
, and was also only the fifth woman trainer to win any
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...
race. Ritvo's fellow trainers in the race included Americans
D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935, in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a retired American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his h ...
,
Todd Pletcher Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967, in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award eight times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming ( ...
, Bill Mott, and
Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer. He has trained two Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert's horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, tying the record with ...
, as well as Irish trainer
Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...
. In response to a reporter's question about how it felt to beat several major trainers, she said, "It feels great," but also credited the team behind the horse, and added, "I'm just blessed to be here." At the end of 2013, Ritvo was named as a recipient of the Lou Smith Memorial Award for Yearly Achievement, given by the New England Turf Writers Association, noting her Massachusetts roots. Mucho Macho Man was awarded the 2013 Secretariat Vox Populi Award, recognizing the struggles the horse had overcome in reaching success and acknowledging the accomplishments of his
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, including Ritvo's own story of overcoming her health issues and going on to train him. The win in the Breeders' Cup Classic was selected as the
National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year award, first awarded in 1999, celebrates or honors one moment that occurred during a given year that most thoroughly exemplifies the spirit and ethos of the sport of Thoroughbred horse ...
with participation in the online polling for that award up by more than 50% from the previous year, believed to be largely due to the popularity of Mucho Macho Man and the people around him, including Ritvo.
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
noted the worldwide success of women horse trainers in 2013, particularly owing to wins in three of the world's major races within a one-month period. In October,
Criquette Head-Maarek Christiane "Criquette" Head (born 6 November 1948 at Marly-le-Roi, near Maisons-Laffitte, France) is a retired French racehorse trainer. Known as Criquette, she was born into the Thoroughbred horse racing business. Her great grandfather was a j ...
won the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
with Treve, the only woman trainer to win the ''Arc''. Then, a few days after Ritvo's horse won the Breeders' Cup Classic, the
Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
was won by
Fiorente Fiorente (26 February 2008 – 30 May 2023) was a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Ireland and trained in Australia. When racing in Europe, he showed high-class form, winning the Princess of Wales's Stakes in 2012. He had greater success when cam ...
, a horse trained by Australian trainer
Gai Waterhouse Gabriel Marie "Gai" Waterhouse (née Smith; born 2 September 1954) is an Australian horse trainer and businesswoman. The daughter of Tommy J. Smith, a leading trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses, Waterhouse was born and raised in Sydney. After ...
, who was only the second woman to train a winner in that race. , Ritvo trains a stable of about a dozen horses, including all of the horses in race training owned by
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing Reeves Thoroughbred Racing is a horse racing partnership headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, formed in 2009 by Dean and Patti Reeves. The stable and ownership partners are the owners of 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man. In Septem ...
, the owners of Mucho Macho Man. Her son Michael became a jockey and won his first race in March 2014 in his second trip out as an apprentice rider.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritvo, Katherine American female horse trainers 1969 births Living people Sportspeople from Florida 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen