BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING

In the days following her Belmont Stakes win, Antonucci logged dozens of interviews with print, television and online media. She graciously gave of her time and in the process became an ambassador for the Ocala-based Thoroughbred industry. Among Antonucci’s interviews were those with such media outlets as FOX, CBS, NBC, News Nation, Newsmax, USA Today, Thoroughbred Daily News, BloodHorse, Paulick Report, Ocala Gazette and Horse Capital TV.

“I am, we are, grateful and appreciate what happened,” said Antonucci, who with Katie Miranda owns and operates horseOlogy based at Paul Bulmahn’s GoldMark Farm. “I’ve been proud to share our story.”

FLORIDA ROOTS & BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS

Born and raised in Hollywood, Florida, Antonucci was such a horse-crazy kid that she was riding by the time she was three.

“Where I grew up was rural at the time and there were a lot of horses around. I would annoy my mother while we drove up and down those roads where I could see horses,” Antonucci recalled. “There was a riding stable nearby and when I was three, my mother finally stopped and signed me up for lessons.”

Antonucci was a quick study and showed on leadline before she was four years old. When she was nine, her parents bought her an appendix Quarter Horse mare named A Hidden Star.

Competing at shows in the south Florida area and along the East Coast, Antonucci began riding off-track Thoroughbreds that she had retrained.

“When I was about 10, my grandfather was racing Thoroughbreds at Belmont Park and Saratoga. It was his Thoroughbreds that I first began retraining and showing,” Antonucci said. “I continued to show on retrained Thoroughbreds through high school and beyond. And as time went on, I became increasingly curious about the Thoroughbred racing industry and that led me to Ocala.”

In 2001, Antonucci moved to Ocala to work at Satish and Anne Sanan’s Padua Stables, which was located in south Marion County. The showplace Thoroughbred operation had previously been David Hutson’s Silverleaf Farm.

“D. Wayne Lukas had moved his California-based breaking and training operation to Padua and I was put in charge of that program,” Antonucci said. “Now I was training young horses to become racehorses and that gave me a whole new perspective. It was all valuable experiences to add to my continuing education about racehorses.”

Antonucci also worked with Nadia Sanan and her Padua Stables-based retraining Thoroughbreds for second careers program.

“It was a continuation of what I had been doing since I was kid. I thought I was important to help these off-track thoroughbreds find new homes and careers,” Antonucci said.

After leaving Padua Stables, Antonucci spent four-and-a-half years as an equine veterinary assistant with Ocala Equine Hospital.

“Those years were key to learning more about horses and their health. I was accumulating more valuable experience,” noted Antonucci. “Finally, I felt like I was ready for another chapter and established my Bella Inizio Farm. Bella inizio means ‘beautiful beginning’ in Italian and that’s what it was for me.”

Antonucci’s initial focus at Bella Inizio Farm was broodmares, foals, weanlings and yearlings. She also began her own breeding program and joined the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. While she shifted what she offered at her farm to clients, she continued to breed horses and currently has two broodmares.

“After awhile, I did miss that racetrack connection and started doing rehab work at my farm,” Antonucci said. “Then I got my trainer’s license in 2010.”

“Star was green-broke, not the best horse for a kid. But I learned a lot from Star and we grew together,” Antonucci said. “We became a great team and competed in equitation and hunter/jumper classes for years. Then I leased her out to other young riders, so they could learn from Star too. For years, I loved hearing from riders about the impact Star had had on their riding careers.”

Fittingly enough, Antonucci’s first career win as a trainer was with Florida-bred Irish Wildcat on March 7, 2010, at Tampa Bay Downs. She recorded her first stakes winner when Flattermewithroses won the 2012 Voodoo Dancer at Belmont Park. In addition to Flattermewithroses, Antonucci has also to date trained stakes-winners Five Star Momma, Gemonteer, Grade 3-winner Doctor J Dub and, of course, Grade 1 stakes-winner Arcangelo.

A Bit Of Horseology Magic

In November, 2022, Antonucci partnered with Katie Miranda to establish horseOlogy. Fiona Goodwin is part of the horseOlogy team as the assistant trainer.

“Katie and I were looking to merge and expand what we each were doing. We needed more space to do that and we were fortunate that Paul Bulmahn worked with us to make that happen at GoldMark,” Antonucci explained. “We call it a conception-to-retirement operation. We handle everything related to raising, training and racing Thoroughbreds. We also offer bloodstock advising, pinhooking and micro-investing in racehorses.”

In addition to the horses at horseOlogy and Antonucci’s Bella Inizio Farm, the partners maintain a string at Gulfstream Park.

“We’re very fluid in our approach and dividing up our work duties,” Antonucci said. “We do what’s needed to take care of business, whether it’s at the farm, at the sales or at the racetrack.”

Antonucci and Miranda were at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale when they met Jon Ebbert, a Pennsylvania-based real estate investor who races as Blue Rose Farm.

“We were in the back ring checking out yearlings. Katie whistled as one went by and that got Jon’s attention,” Antonucci recalled. “We introduced ourselves and exchanged a few sarcastic comments, so we hit if off.”