French apprentice jockey Roxane Liegeois has never been afraid to travel across the world for an opportunity.

Her career has already taken her from France to racetracks across the United Arab Emirates and, most recently, to Southern California, where she is beginning a new chapter and finding success.

On Aug. 16, that move produced an important milestone when Liegeois rode Chasing Kat to victory at Del Mar, earning her first U.S. win at one of American racing’s most recognizable summer meets. This was only the latest step in a career that has already exposed her to several very different racing cultures.

A Racing Education Around the World

Her path into the sport began in France, where Liegeois enrolled in a horse racing school at 16 and spent three years learning the profession. She began her apprenticeship at 17 and had her first race ride in 2021 while working for trainer Christophe Ferland.

Apprentice rider Roxane Liegeois (BENOIT photo)

Liegeois reached her first major career milestone the following year. On Sept. 1, 2022, she rode Lastrada to victory for Ferland in a one-mile race at Longchamp, earning the first win of her career in what was her 41st official start.

“My first winner was in France at Longchamp for my first boss,” Liegeois said.

She ultimately collected four victories in France before expanding her career beyond her own country. About three years ago, Liegeois started spending the winter racing season in the United Arab Emirates, where she gained experience at tracks including Meydan, Abu Dhabi Turf Club, Jebel Ali Racecourse, Al Ain Racecourse, and Sharjah Racecourse.

Travel and adaptability quickly became an important part of how Liegeois approached building her career.

“I like to travel and try to ride everywhere,” she said. “When there is a break in Dubai, I was thinking about going somewhere else, like the USA, to get experience and see if I could ride in races.”

Her time in the UAE brought another milestone on Nov. 1, 2024, when Liegeois rode the Yas Racing-owned Raddad Al Wathba to victory in a 1,600-meter maiden race for Arabians at Al Ain. Trained by Eric Lemartinel, Raddad Al Wathba overcame a slow start and took command in the final 200 meters to win by more than two lengths, giving Liegeois experience aboard a very different type of racehorse.

“It was a totally different racing experience,” she said. “Arabian races can be tougher to ride.”

After two seasons working for Lemartinel and gaining experience with Arabians, Liegeois made another change ahead of the 2025-’26 UAE season, joining Thoroughbred trainer Bhupat Seemar at Zabeel Stables in Dubai.

Dubai was a great learning experience for Liegeois (Eclipse Sportswire)

Liegeois initially struggled to pick up mounts, but as the season progressed her opportunities increased.

“At the start, it was a little bit hard to get some rides because it was the first time I came to his stable and he had many jockeys working for him,” Liegeois said. “But at the end of the season, I started to ride more for him.”

Along the way, Liegeois was also adapting to a style of racing that differed considerably from what she had learned in France.

“In France, we take more time with the horses,” Liegeois said. “We might spend an hour training one horse, and we work mainly on Tapeta [all-weather surface] or turf. The style of racing is different, so you have to ride with different tactics.”

The French style also emphasized technique, while racing in the UAE required her to become physically stronger and adjust to a faster style of dirt racing.

“In France, it’s more about technique than strength,” she said. “When I first came to Dubai, it wasn’t easy. I had to become stronger and tougher in the way I rode.”

A New Chapter in California

The experience Liegeois gained in the UAE helped prepare her for another racing culture — North American horse racing — and made her transition to the United States feel more familiar than her earlier move from France.

“It’s a little bit similar in Dubai and in the USA,” she said. “It’s dirt racing, the races are faster, and you need strong horses.”

After a promising first season in Dubai, Liegeois plans to return to Seemar’s operation for another year. Until then, she used the UAE offseason to keep expanding her experience, this time in Southern California.

“I came to California only for a few months, just to get experience,” Liegeois said. “I was hoping I might also have the chance to ride in more races.”

Liegeois began working for trainer George Papaprodromou, who gave her that opportunity. On July 3 at Los Alamitos, she finished fourth aboard Desert Kat in her U.S. debut.

All smiles after first stateside victory (BENOIT photo)

“I came to learn the American style and American training,” Liegeois said. “While it’s a little more similar to Dubai, I wanted to keep improving in that unique American racing style because it still has its differences.”

Even seemingly small differences in racing can significantly impact a ride. During her first U.S. race, Liegeois lost her whip, which she attributed to variances in the equipment and riding style she was accustomed to overseas.

“The reins are different, and my whip was too big for here,” she said. “So, I just tried to learn American racing style faster. I trained harder, did some exercises, and tried to be ready for the next good one.”

Her second U.S. mount came aboard Victoria’s Jewel at Del Mar on Aug. 6. Ten days later, Liegeois returned to the Del Mar starting gate aboard Chasing Kat for Papaprodromou.

This time, everything came together. Chasing Kat, sent off at 6.60-1 odds in the 5 ½-furlong claiming race, gave Liegeois her first U.S. victory in just her third American start.

“It wasn’t easy racing here at first, but that’s why I came … to learn,” Liegeois said. “In these two months, I’ve improved a lot and learned a lot. To get my first win after only three races here happened really fast, so I’m very happy with that.”

Liegeois said she has seen more female jockeys in American racing overall than in Dubai, although during her time in Southern California she has still frequently found herself the lone woman among the riders around her. However, she feels gender has little to do with what a rider can accomplish once the gates open.

“There are more men riding, so it’s easier to find good men than good women because we are fewer. But some men are better than women, and some women are better than men. It’s the same.”

What matters most, Liegeois believes, is continuing to work through the difficult stretches, a lesson she has carried with her since trying to earn her first rides in France.

“When I started, it was really tough, and for a long time I was just trying to get rides,” Liegeois said. “You have to stay focused and really determined about what you want. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.”

Building Toward a Possible Return

What was meant to be a short working trip to the states during the UAE offseason suddenly began to look like the start of something more.

“The plan was just to come here, visit and see if I like it,” Liegeois said. “And I had one winner already, so I think I should come back.”

Liegeois Aug. 16 after winning aboard Chasing Kat (BENOIT photo)

Liegeois remains committed to returning to Dubai, where preparations for the 2026-’27 UAE racing season begin in September, before racing gets underway in October. The season will bring another demanding stretch, with Liegeois typically exercising six or seven horses each morning before heading to the races on race days.

“It’s really intense because it’s a seven-month-long season,” she said. “We never stop. Every day is hard work—wake up every morning early, go to the races in the afternoon, and just do the same for seven months.”

While racing at Del Mar, Liegeois found a similar routine, continuing to get on as many as nine horses each morning as she works to refine the American riding style she traveled across the world to learn.

But her first U.S. victory has changed the way she looks at what might come after her next season in Dubai. Rather than simply returning for another brief visit, Liegeois hopes to come back to the United States to compete more seriously, secure an agent, and begin pursuing a larger book of mounts.

“I feel like here in California I’m already starting maybe to build something,” she said. “That gives me motivation to continue and try to be better. I just want to improve and ride more races, and hopefully get some good horses and confidence from the trainers and owners here.”