Story by Gage Johnson
Senior Writer
Racer One trotting around the track after every home touchdown has been a long-standing tradition at Murray State, so it didn’t take long for new Racer One jockey Jamie Wolfzorn to develop a fascination of the tradition.
“My freshman year I went to a football game, and I looked at my friend that I was there with and I was like ‘I’m going to be the Racer One jockey,’” Wolfzorn said.
This was the moment Wolfzorn knew she wanted to hear “Clear the track!” and “Here comes Racer One!” as she rounded the track with Racer One after every touchdown at Roy Stewart Stadium.
Not long after, Wolfzorn was presented with the unique chance by her friend.
“Last year my friend Anna Thomas was the jockey,” Thomas said. “She was like, ‘Hey we need an extra person for the Racer One team. Would you mind to join?’ Then I tried out in November, and now I’m the jockey.”
Dr. Shea Porr, the department head of Animal/Equine Science, is heavily involved with the Racer One team, and she and a committee decided on Wolfzorn as the new jockey after a rigorous training and interview process.
“We watched the students try out on some horses and then we asked them some questions relative to ‘Why did they want to be the jockey? What did they think it was to represent Murray State, the School of Agriculture and the Equine program on Racer One?’” Porr said. “Then the committee sat down to make the decision and she was everyone’s top choice.”
Wolfzorn understands the magnitude of the tradition surrounding Racer One, and is honored to be able to say she’s a part of it.
“It’s really neat because I’m a part of a select handful of people that get to do what I do,” Wolfzorn said. “It’s just an amazing tradition. I get cold chills every time I walk into the stadium, whether it’s for practice or an actual game, and I get to sit in the saddle where so many great riders before me did.”
