There are two things that are key to jockey Tais Lyapustina’s career. One is her lifelong love of horses.

The other? Sheer force of will.

“I’m a very stubborn person,” she says. “So. if somebody says, ‘No, you can’t do this,’ I want to prove them wrong.”

Lyapustina didn’t grow up on the track or as part of a racing family, but the Maryland native’s equestrian background eventually led her to Bowie, where she began work as a groom and hotwalker before climbing aboard racehorses as an exercise rider.

She was intrigued by the prospect of becoming a jockey, but she says she wasn’t really sure whether she’d be able to make the weight. 

That’s where her “stubborn” nature came in. Through discipline, hard work and a willingness to learn, Lyapustina indeed made weight and found her way to the racetrack as an amateur jockey beginning in 2014. Four years later, she earned her first professional victory. 

Since then, she’s crossed the wire first another 160-plus times, including 12 this year, her mounts have earned over $5.5 million, and her stats have continued to improve year by year.

But it’s been a long, challenging road to reach this point. Lyapustina didn’t get any real traction as an apprentice, which made the transition to journeyman even tougher. It took until last year – her seventh as a pro – for her to top $1 million in purse earnings in a single season.

“I just couldn’t get any real support behind me,” Lyapustina says. “I couldn’t get an agent, and it was a real struggle for the longest time just trying to get somebody to believe in me.”

Trainers Rudy Sanchez-Salomon and Joanne Shankle were some of her earliest supporters – and continue to provide Lyapustina with winning mounts. Shankle says they met Lyapustina more than 10 years ago and began to help her when she showed interest in being a jockey.

“We tried to motivate her and get her going; we told her if she would ride harder, we’d give her more mounts,” says Shankle. “And now she’s doing it. She’s really riding hard, and all I can say is that she tries.”

The partnership has paid off: nine of Lyapustina’s 12 wins this year have been aboard horses trained by Shankle and Sanchez-Salomon. That includes an allowance/optional claiming win by Hittheroadjak March 21, after which Sanchez-Salomon praised Lyapustina’s “very nice, impressive ride.”

Other key sources of support include Jose Corrales, a well-known mentor of young riders and trainer of her first winner, Esken Lady; the late Rodney Jenkins, for whom she worked even before her riding career began; and, naturally, her current agent, John DiNatale. 

“He’s been a big help,” she says of DiNatale. “He’s been my best friend, my psychologist – kind of like my grandfather. I always know that he’s got my back no matter what happens.”

Lyapustina had her best season last year, winning 31 races and logging more than $1.4 million in purse earnings. This year she already has a dozen victories and is winning at a 17% clip that’s the highest of her career.

As her career continues to ascend, she’s taking it one day at a time. Her “happy place” is still on the back of a horse – whether that’s one she knows well (she mentions Hayne’s Fever and Long Distance Love as personal favorites), or a new challenge altogether.

“When I figure one out – that for me is the fun part,” Lyapustina says. “You know, really learning them, and them learning me, and being able to do something cool with them, like win with one that nobody else can win with. It just gives you a feeling of accomplishment.”

Lyapustina points to the people around her as key to her burgeoning success. This kind of strong social network is critical for any young rider, says Lyapustina – especially young women entering the sport.

“Surround yourself with people that are going to be supportive of you, because it makes a world of difference, having people on your team.”