HOT SPRINGS — Jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr. is easy to spot on the backside at Oaklawn Park.

Just look for the fluorescent tops and a smile. Seemingly, always a smile.

“I’m very positive,” said Homeister, who is riding at Oaklawn for the first time this year. “If you ever see me not smiling, something really devastating happened, because it’s very rare.”

Homeister, 40, has had plenty to smile about in her 20-year riding career.

She became the first female to win an Eclipse Award as the country’s leading apprentice in 1992 and has won riding titles at Calder and Hialeah in south Florida and at Colonial Downs in Virginia. Her 2,574 career victories are second-most for a female in North American history, behind only Hall of Famer Julie Krone (3,704).

Even without a sterling resume, Homeister, articulate and outgoing, is an easy sell.

“She sells herself,” said her agent, Jay Fedor. “Despite me, she’s going to find some business.”

Homeister arrived in Hot Springs on Dec. 15 and began working horses the following day — almost a month before Friday’s start of the 56-day live season.

She passes out business cards, and Tuesday morning, decked out in a bright yellow hooded sweatshirt, she was passing out homemade cookies and brownies that were gift-wrapped.

“She’s a hustler,” trainer Tom Howard of Hot Springs. “She’s really smart, and she can horseback.”

Raised in south Florida, Homeister’s parents were both jockeys and her mother, Rosemary Homeister, still trains.

Homeister Jr. was the leading apprentice rider at Monmouth Park in New Jersey in 1992-1993 and claimed her first riding title at the Tropical at Calder meeting in 1992.

She became just the fifth woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby in 2003.

Homeister retired in 2004 and sold real estate for about 18 months before resuming her career.

She was perennially among the leading riders at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida before taking another break in 2011 to give birth to her first child, Victoria Rose.

“When I’m done working, it’s all about her,” Homeister said.

Instead of returning to Tampa Bay this winter, Homeister said she decided to try Oaklawn at the urging of Fedor, who also will represent Robby Albarado at the meeting.

Homeister and Fedor teamed for 67 victories last year at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago to finish third in the standings.

“It’s great to work with him,” Homeister said.

Homeister plans to ride again at Arlington after the Oaklawn meeting ends April 13.

She’s purchasing a townhouse about 20 minutes from Arlington as part of her transition to retirement from riding to raise her daughter.

“I want to be that mom that’s right there with my daughter when she goes to school,” Homeister said. “I want to be there for all her first everything.”

Homeister is already heavily involved in network marketing as an independent consultant for Arbonne, a health and wellness company.

The smile and positive vibes, at least on the racing end, could vanish in about four years, she said.

“I love my career,” Homeister said. “I have passion for the horses, and I love people. I love to come out and say, ‘Good morning’ to everybody — if they ride me or not. It doesn’t matter.

“I want to be out here and let them know that I’m here to ride and win and work hard.”

Sports, Pages 19 on 01/09/2013