As director of public relations for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), Patricia "P.J." Cooksey works to keep diverse groups of people on track. She serves as liaison between the racing commission and Kentucky's horse industry, legislators and the general public. Responsible for comparative research on how Kentucky stacks up against other states on matters pertaining to horse racing, Cooksey also manages the agency's community involvement with Kentucky's March for Babies, Big Brothers/Big Sisters "Bowl for Kids" and the Kentucky Employee Charitable Campaign (KECC).
One of the responsibilities Cooksey enjoys fully is her visits to local schools, during which she talks to children about Kentucky's equine industry. She takes a mechanical exercise horse (equicizer) used for training and therapy to demonstrate what's expected of a jockey on a horse. She also loves promoting the importance and excitement of Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky.
Growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, with three older brothers and a younger sister, Cooksey and her siblings played tackle football, baseball, basketball and got into lots of trouble, she said.
"My brothers taught me how to be tough," she said.
She wanted to become a mounted police officer, but after a year and a half of classes, she was told she was too short to become a cop. She dropped out of college - a dumb move, according to Cooksey - and went to work waiting tables at a Greek restaurant in Lake Milton, Ohio, where her mother worked as the bartender. It was there she met someone whose son was a jockey and who encouraged her to go to Waterford Park in West Virginia.
Cooksey packed her car, got her mother's blessing and headed east. She started at the bottom as a hotwalker and worked her way up to grooming horses, eventually becoming an assistant trainer for a 25-horse stable. Six months later, she received her jockey's license.
"I was the leading jockey, both male and female, my first two meets. I dreamed of one day riding in the world's most prestigious race, the Kentucky Derby," she said. "With my leading rider trophies in hand, I packed my tack and made my move to the Horse Capital of the World."
She realized her dream in 1984, when she became only the second woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. She finished 11th aboard So Vague, and the following year she became the first woman to ride in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. In 1983, Cooksey was the first woman to win a major stakes race in California. All in all, she has made over 2,100 trips to the winner's circle.
"The thing I love about my current job is that I still get to be with the people of the horse industry, be around horses and promote the greatest sport played outdoors," Cooksey said. "I enjoy learning about the government process and what it takes to make changes for the betterment of the industry. I work with a very dedicated team and leader who are passionate about the racing industry in Kentucky. We are always working hard to improve the integrity of our sport and make it safer for the equine and human athletes and everyone who participates in racing."
According to Cooksey, the biggest challenge for the equine industry today is educating people about the importance of keeping Kentucky's signature industry alive and thriving.
"Kentucky has the very best product in the world in our thoroughbred stallions. People bring their Mares from all over the world to breed to Kentucky stallions, and we breed more mares than any other state or country in the world," she said.
Other states are working hard to take the "Horse Capital of the World" title away from Kentucky, Cooksey said, and she fears "Öif we continue to stand by and do nothing to save our horse industry in Kentucky, our claim to fame will be 'The Chicken Capital of the World.'"
Later this year, Cooksey will be seen in a new documentary, JOCK, which is being filmed at Pimlico Racetrack. The feature-length documentary is about the first generation of female jockeys who fought in the late '60s and early '70s for the right to ride as professional jockeys. This year marks the 40th anniversary of their equal rights victory and their first historic races as professionals.