Donna Barton Brothers was born into horse racing. Her mother, Patti Barton, was one of the first half dozen women to be licensed as a jockey in the United States—that was in 1969. Throughout Patti Barton’s career (and until four years after her retirement) she was the leading female rider in the nation by the number of wins. Patti retired from racing in 1984 with just over 1,200 wins.
Both Donna’s brother, Jerry, and sister, Leah, were jockeys but by the time Donna started riding professionally in 1987 her mother, brother and sister had all retired from riding. That’s when Donna’s racing career took off. She rode from 1987 to 1998 and retired in 1998 as the second leading female jockey in the United States by money earned. She holds that title still, with a record 1,130 wins. 1998 was also the year she married Frank Brothers, the well-known Thoroughbred trainer (since retired), conformation expert, and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
In 2014, Donna was honored by Sport’s Illustrated Magazine, when she was awarded Best Sideline Reporter of the year for the trademark qualities that make her so beloved by her fans. She’s approachable, and she’s always on-point with her interviews, delivering relatable facts that her viewers care about.
