The Horse Racing Women’s Association Comes to Century Mile Racetrack & Casino
There is something fitting about the Horse Racing Women’s Association (HRWA) choosing Edmonton for its first major Western Canadian event.
In recent months, Edmonton has increasingly been recognized as an emerging hub for women’s sports and leadership. Earlier this spring, The Gist highlighted the city’s growing reputation as a Canadian “women’s sports haven,” noting Edmonton’s willingness to host and elevate major women’s sporting events and the broader ecosystem forming around them.
Now, horse racing is part of that momentum.
On Saturday, July 11, 2026, Century Mile Racetrack and Casino will host ‘HRWA x Century Mile’ Day at the Races, a landmark gathering bringing together some of the most accomplished women in Thoroughbred racing for a day built around storytelling, education, networking and connection.
The event is presented in partnership with Century Mile Racetrack and Casino and the Horse Racing Women’s Association, with support from Horse Racing Alberta, which has helped expand access through early ticket pricing to encourage all women to take part, whether they are deeply rooted in the equine world or simply curious about a day at the races.
The intention is simple: continue to bring more women into the conversation.
The Horse Racing Women’s Association (HRWA) is a community-driven organization committed to empowering, elevating, and investing in women in horse racing. Through industry events, leadership programming, educational resources, and meaningful networking opportunities, HRWA connects executives, entrepreneurs, horsewomen, media professionals, and fans across North America.
Founded in 2022, HRWA has evolved from an annual summit into a year-round association hosting events at major Thoroughbred racetracks including Saratoga, Santa Anita Park, Del Mar, Woodbine, and now its first event at Century Mile. Each stop is designed to blend education, industry insight, and community in a setting that reflects the diversity of modern racing.
Women in horse racing are also experiencing a defining moment across North America, with history-making moments continuing to elevate the sport at its highest levels. On the first Saturday in May, Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby when Golden Tempo captured the sport’s most iconic race. Five weeks later, DeVaux added another historic milestone in the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first female trainer to win two Triple Crown races, a moment that brought even greater visibility to women working across every sector of the industry.
It is part of what makes HRWA x Century Mile feel so timely, the breakthrough isn’t that women are suddenly here. It’s that they’re finally being publicly recognized on racing’s biggest stages.
Alberta continues to stand out nationally for female participation in Thoroughbred racing. According to 2025 Equibase standings, women represented approximately 33 percent of Thoroughbred trainers at “A” racetrack Century Mile Racetrack in Edmonton and 28 percent at “B” Racetrack Rocky Mountain Turf Club in Lethbridge, representing the highest rates in Canada, and underscoring just how deeply women are already shaping the sport in the province.
“I absolutely love that Alberta has such strong female representation in racing, and honestly, it doesn’t surprise me at all,” HRWA Co-Founder Jodie Vella-Gregory said. “Canadians know how to work hard and get results.”
One of the earliest sparks of bringing HRWA to Alberta came through a Canadian Pony Club connection between HRWA Co-Founder Jodie Vella-Gregory and Horse Racing Alberta employee Kathy Butkovic, who first met as kids through the Edmonton equestrian community. That shared thread eventually opened the door to conversations about hosting an HRWA event in Alberta.
Vella-Gregory, now an executive with 1/ST Racing and a leader within HRWA, grew up in Edmonton’s Pony Club and Alberta Young Riders community before building a career across major racing organizations in North America, including Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Santa Anita Park, and the Breeders’ Cup. Today, she serves as Vice President of Industry Relations at 1/ST Racing, contributing to major events such as the Pegasus World Cup and the Preakness Stakes, as well as racing operations at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, with a focus on advancing horse safety, welfare, and innovation in the sport.
For Vella-Gregory, the planned return home carries added meaning.
“Coming back to Edmonton for an event focused on women in racing feels very full circle for me. It’s a reminder of where everything started and how important it is to never forget your roots or the people who helped shape your journey.”
The HRWA x Century Mile HerWay Talk brings together a panel of five women from across Canada and the United States whose paths reflect the breadth of modern horse racing.
HerWay Talk moderator Stephanie Hronis of Hronis Racing in California never expected horse racing to become central to her life. What began, as she jokingly describes it, as a “well-intentioned swindle by the racing gods” started as a casual weekend hobby with her husband, Kosta Hronis, before gradually evolving into something far more significant, reshaping their lives in ways they never anticipated. That slow unfolding, marked by more horses and numerous stakes winners, ultimately led them to Flightline, one of the most dominant Thoroughbreds of the modern era.
“Thinking about how our family was blessed to be a part of Flightline’s journey brings on chills, a warm smile, and some incredible memories.”, Hronis said. “It means so much being able to visit him at Lane’s End Farm where he currently stands. While he was at the barn, in training and racing, it was a magical time indeed.”
Through her experience with stakes winning racehorses, HRWA events across North America, and industry director roles, Hronis has developed a deep appreciation for the broader community within the sport.
Reflecting on what continues to stand out when she meets women from different corners of the industry, she said, “That women in horse racing are forces. I am always in awe of and inspired by the women I get to meet, to learn about their roles, which usually are many, and their lifelong dedication to the horses and the sport. They are so resilient and encompass every aspect of the industry. I have so much respect. Many are HERoes who aren’t looking for the spotlight.”
HRWA x Century Mile handicapping seminar presenter Alexa Zepp didn’t begin in horse racing but has quickly become one of the sport’s emerging media voices. She currently serves as Strategic Partnerships, Sponsorships, and Emerging Media Manager for America’s Best Racing, and is Co-Chair of Marketing and Communications for the Horse Racing Women’s Association. At HRWA x Century Mile, she, alongside Century Mile’s Jentry Van Baal, will introduce attendees to the fundamentals of reading a race and engaging with the sport.
Her introduction to horse racing came unexpectedly when she attended horseplayer tournaments as a plus one with a former partner. Zepp’s competitive nature quickly took over, and she soon began learning the game and entering tournaments on her own.
That competitive drive translated into significant success on the horseplayer circuit. Zepp is a four-time National Horseplayers Championship qualifier, earning entries in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024, including a year in which she qualified with two separate entries and advanced both to the final day of competition. She has also competed in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and numerous HorseTourneys events, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 2023 Flo-Cal Faceoff, earning $36,720.
For Zepp, that result marked a turning point.
“That truly changed my life,” she said. “I was able to put a down payment on my home and move to Lexington. It also allowed me to head down to Miami in January 2023 and play in the Pegasus handicapping tournament.”
That trip would ultimately prove pivotal in a way she didn’t expect.
“While I whiffed that tournament, it ended up being one of the most impactful moments in my career because it’s where I attended my first Horse Racing Women’s Association event,” she said. “I’m now on the executive committee, and if handicapping tournaments hadn’t gotten me there, I don’t think I’d be where I am today with the organization.”
Zepp says HRWA has become one of the most meaningful parts of her career, both professionally and personally, connecting her to a network of women across the industry.
Alongside her tournament success, she has become a respected voice in racing media, including hosting National Horseplayers Championship broadcast coverage for America’s Best Racing over the past two years.
She has also been part of several viral moments in horse racing media, including interviews with Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports and former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, moments she says highlight how widely the sport can resonate when it meets new audiences where they already are.
“The Dave Portnoy and Marshawn Lynch interviews were so fun to be a part of last summer,” she said. “I think they show how horse racing brings together people from all different worlds. Leaning into celebrity moments or influencer partnerships is a great way to expand reach and bring new fans into the sport.”
Zepp points to that reach as a real opportunity for growth.
“Dave’s interview reached 10 million people and introduced a lot of people to the sport for the first time. That’s a win. Exposure like that helps make horse racing more mainstream and ultimately helps it thrive longer.”
Looking ahead to her seminar at Century Mile, Zepp hopes attendees leave with something simple they can immediately use.
“I hope everyone leaves with a deeper understanding of just one data point on the form,” she said. “Maybe how to identify race conditions, or how to read speed figures, or how to find workout history. When you can open the form and confidently understand even one thing, it removes the intimidation.”
“And when you make a decision based on something you actually understand, win or lose, it feels good to know why you chose a horse.”
HRWA events also have a local focus meaning Canadian women will be well represented on the panel, including veteran trainer Barbara Anderson-Heads, who brings more than four decades of experience and nearly 1,000 career wins to the discussion.
Raised at Vancouver’s Exhibition Park, Anderson-Heads has built one of the most enduring careers in Western Canadian racing, becoming the first female trainer inducted into the BC Racing Hall of Fame and earning leading trainer honours at Hastings Racecourse four times.
Her résumé includes victories in nearly every major stakes race in Vancouver, including three BC Derbies and two Canadian Derbies, along with repeated success in Alberta, where she has won the Century Mile Distaff five years in a row. She is also approaching the 1,000-win milestone, with more than 100 stakes victories to her name.
That same commitment to the sport, from a very different vantage point, is reflected in fellow panelist Hazel Bennett, President of Borders Racing Stable.
Raised in Black Diamond, Alberta, Bennett built a highly successful career in Calgary’s investment industry, becoming one of only four women licensed in the field at the time. In a male-dominated profession, she earned respect through resilience and determination, helping open doors for women in finance.
While her professional life was rooted in economics and investment, horses became her life’s passion, despite not growing up in the industry.
As the President of Borders Racing Stable, Bennett has been involved in Thoroughbred racing and breeding for more than three decades. She continues to support the Alberta racing industry through horses campaigned locally with trainers Jerri Robertson and Gonzalo Anderson, while also maintaining a presence on the broader North American stage with runners under Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux and west coast trainer Patrick Gallagher.
Beyond the racing oval, Bennett has maintained a deep commitment to Thoroughbred aftercare, playing a pivotal role in the creation of the Alberta Thoroughbred Aftercare Society.
Rounding out the group is a homegrown success story. Assistant trainer Jodie Hiesinger represents an important part of the sport’s next generation on the panel.
Based in Edmonton, Hiesinger currently works as assistant trainer for Rod Cone and serves as Backstretch Coordinator for the HBPA of Alberta. Her career began through the Horse Racing Alberta/Olds College Exercise Rider and Jockey Training Program before continuing under Cone’s stable, where she gained experience galloping horses at major U.S. tracks and working with stakes-winning runners in Alberta.
In 2025, Hiesinger was recognized nationally as the recipient of the inaugural Jockey Club of Canada Outstanding Western Canadian Backstretch Worker Award.
A power-packed afternoon, HRWA x Century Mile Day at the Races will bring together live Thoroughbred racing, the HerWay Talk panel, a handicapping seminar, networking opportunities, and a buffet dinner alongside a full race card at Century Mile.
The July 11 race day will also feature stakes action, including the $50,000 R.K. Red Smith Handicap for fillies and mares and the $75,000 Century Mile Handicap.
But the intent of the day extends far beyond the racetrack.
There is something unmistakably fitting about that spirit meeting what people often call “horse girl energy” — a lifelong connection to horses that doesn’t belong to any one age or background and can begin in Pony Club, 4-H, or High School Rodeo, through friends or ownership, or even on a first day at the races that quietly turns into something more.
HRWA x Century Mile is built on that shared thread.
“The HRWA is so looking forward to this in-person event at Century Mile. Women attending the upcoming event will find that everyone is welcome. It is a great opportunity to see friends, make new ones, network, and enjoy a day of racing, together,” HRWA Executive Committee Chair and the day’s moderator Hronis shared.
“I hear often from women about the connections they made that carry on outside of the actual event. We also have a very user-friendly handicapping contest planned where we figure out how to play the ponies together. Overall, it’s a great day spent with like-spirited women where hopefully by the end of the day you feel like many ‘know your name’.”
And in Edmonton this July, that idea stops being something you talk about. It becomes the sound of the starting gate opening, conversations continuing between races, and a room full of women realizing they are already part of something bigger than the day itself.