Longboat Key resident jockeys for space on the track

Sarah Frederick recounted her 55-year career riding as a jockey, part of an early wave of women in the sport.

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. January 28, 2026

Longboat Key resident Sarah Frederick, pictured above in one of her favorite competitions, said she knew from the age of five that she loved working with horses. Little did she know then that she would go on to craft a 55-year career in racing, breeding and caring for them.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

This spring, many spectators will be donning their finest derby hats and tuning in to the fast-paced horse races that quicken the hearts of even passive viewers. Each beat of the hooves could make the difference in a photo-finish win. But few know the ins and outs of the sport as well as Longboat Key resident Sarah Frederick, who spent 55 years around horses.

"It's all I ever wanted to do," she said.

Frederick, 62, who now enjoys the leisurely pace of island life from her beachfront home mid-Key with her yellow Lab, Lizzie, shared what it was like making a place for herself on the track as part of an early wave of women entering the sport professionally.

It wasn't always an easy path, especially considering at 5 feet, 7 inches tall, she is considered tall for a jockey. But she discovered a love of horses early.

"When I was very small, younger than 5 years old, I saw horse racing on TV," she said. "I told my parents that I wanted to be a jockey."

Frederick was born in Munich, Germany. Her father served in the U.S Army, so the family traveled extensively before landing in Virginia. But one thing that stayed consistent was that equine connection.

"When he was stationed in Texas, I was 5 years old, and I started taking riding lessons," she said. "I continued them as we moved around, including when we were in England for two years."

Frederick competed in her first official race in 1984 in her 20s in Charleston, West Virginia. It was then that the pieces really clicked, and she knew jockeying was what she was destined to do.

"Watching it on TV is, of course, exciting," she added. "But actually doing it is 10 times better."

She said that initial race was "an overload of nerves, excitement and not wanting to make a mistake," especially when working with such strong animals pushing their physical limits.

Her parents had some trepidation about the dangers of professional jockeying. However, she said they knew there was no talking her out of it.

Rather than try to dissuade her upon seeing her drive, they supported it. She got her first pony at 7 years old.

Sarah Frederick, then Sarah Foote, competes with The Delaware Park Horsemen's Association in 1994.

Jockeying was a main focus of hers, but she also participated in showing horses, steeplechase, fox hunting and training horses.

Racing thoroughbreds was always a thrill, she said. The breed is particularly known for agility, stamina, speed and running hot-blooded.

After moving to Virginia, the family started breeding thoroughbreds.

"They were born on our farm, and we raised and trained them," she said. "Then, we took them to the race track."

Frederick competed with the horses they raised, but she also jockeyed and trained for other people.

Her will to win was what carried her forward into making a full career of jockeying, she said.

"I lost plenty too, but the feeling of winning a race like that is truly indescribable," she said. "Even in a smaller, nondescript race, it was still just the best feeling I could ever try to describe."

A winning day

One of her more memorable competitions was with the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association in 1994, where she won two races in a day. She worked with the same trainer and owner that day, but with two different horses.

Often, jockeys may be paired with a horse completely unfamiliar to them. But with guidance from the team and their training to handle any situation, they find a way to make it work. Horse and jockey need to work tightly in tandem, with the rider timing the horse's strides to help push them along with each step.

"I learned so much more from being paired with random horses all the time," she said. "I think that's what really made me an all-around type of jockey who could ride almost anything."

By that point in her journey, Frederick didn't need a coach. But she acknowledged a rider can learn from anybody.

"I always said, be all eyes and ears, because you can learn the most that way," she said.

Frederick estimates she ran in about 500 races in West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania over the course of her career.

Along her career path, she formed friendships with fellow jockeys, especially those who were also finding their way in the sport that still mainly included male athletes. One dear friend was Diane Crump, who made history in 1970 as the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. She died earlier this month.

"It was because of her that I got to ride, and all my other female jockey friends," she credited. "Back then, they didn't think a woman could do it. She proved them wrong, against all odds."

Sarah Frederick, pictured on a sunny afternoon at her Longboat Key home with her yellow lab, Lizzie, made a name for herself as part of the first wave of women to compete in high-level jockeying. She participated in horse races, jumping, dressage and fox hunting for 55 years.

Frederick said she feels fortunate to have made a career from what she loved to do. Leaving that lifestyle wasn't an easy decision, but she retired to raise her four sons and recover from such a physically demanding sport. She said she hasn't ridden a horse since hanging up her saddle.

"I'm never going to get back on another one," she said. "I truly miss it. But if I try to get on just for fun again, I know I would be like, 'I have to do this again.'"

She recently embarked on a new adventure. She and her husband, Rod Rogahn, got married two years ago. He, naturally, has a background in high-octane sports as well as a professional water skier when he wasn't busy working as an attorney. He has been a longtime visitor to Longboat Key, and the two decided to buy a home here.

When not spending part of the year in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin — where they got married in their backyard — they enjoy spending time paddleboarding and visiting the dog park.

"I really love the Longboat community," she said.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.