True Grit: The American Dawning of Jockey Kayla Stra

    LOS ANGELES, CA, March 04, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- It's barely 4:30 AM and a crisp 37 degrees in the barn at Santa Anita racetrack. The sounds of saddles being lifted, equine legs being wrapped, murmurs among grooms and trainers----and a few well-timed kicks from horses who are ready to run off some steam----all seem to beat to a specific rhythm. If you find yourself here, you are dead-center in the daily routine of one of the world's most dynamic, daunting sports: American thoroughbred racing.

When Jockey Kayla Stra, 24, arrives her routine begins. She locates grooms who need an experienced hand, asks hardened trainers if she can "work" their horse that day, all with the hope that she will get "a ride" (a race) in what is perhaps the world's most competitive and esteemed jockey colony---the Southern California racing circuit. The black-haired beauty, who stands just over five feet, is the former Dux of the South Australian Apprentice School. In 2007, she left a comfortable home in Adelaide with 220 wins in her satchel, including Australia's prestigious Marion Stakes on gelding "Navy Shaker." With gear in tow, Stra headed for America, with big dreams of making it to the top echelon of American thoroughbred racing. Since she began racing in the U.S., Stra has garnered an approximate 400 total wins in the U.S. and Australia to date. She discusses her rise and extraordinary journey in the often mysterious world of thoroughbred racing on the acclaimed new talk-radio show, "The Body Politic," which airs worldwide on March 5 at 3:00 PM PST at www.blogtalkradio.com/thebodypolitic. The show will air repeatedly throughout the month of March.

Stra started where all apprentices start: At the lowest rung of the ferociously difficult jockey ladder. The California racing elite have been testing her metal ever since. Given the harsh realities for promising male jockeys who cannot hack the sport's extraordinary, brutal demands, many secretly thought Stra would be off on a one-way ticket back to Australia in no-time-----with her sizable ambition in shambles-----and an empty race card for her trouble. They thought wrong. Stra had her first big win in November 2007 on "Flying Bearcat" at Hollywood Park and has won or placed in numerous races since, most recently winning the last race of the "pick six" in a 49-1 long-shot on "Paddlin' Mud," on Feb. 25th at Santa Anita. Suddenly, even the most cynical members of the male dominated sport are taking a serious look at the young, keenly focused competitor, who is literally racing her way into a tiny club of women jockeys worldwide---and is only one of three women jockeys who race professionally in the U.S.

Not all horsemen were wary of Stra at the outset. Veteran trainer, James Cassidy, gave her a chance. She worked her way up under Cassidy's tutelage for nearly a year, working horses, learning the ropes. "I never got any rides from him," says, Stra, but I kept persisting, and showing him that I wanted to race badly. He finally gave me a ride and we won." Stra bolted to the finish-line aboard "Tallahsocean," proving once again, that she's a tough competitor in the male dominated racing world.

Asked if Stra had the potential to make it to the top tier of jockeys, Cassidy stated, "If I didn't think she had the potential, I would not have given her the chance to ride. This [business] is tough for men. I think you have to be doubly tough as a woman. She won the [last race] of the "pick-six" the other day---that makes it easier for a lot of people to give her a chance. I like the way she sits on a racehorse---and what she's able to get out of them. People are starting to agree. All she has to do is get lucky and get on some good horses," said Cassidy.

On being a role model for women, Stra puts it simply: "I think that going through all the hard work, almost torture, to get where I want to be----it's more than what most people might do to get where they want to be. If you really want it that bad, you do what it takes, no matter what comes your way." Stra credits her sister, Desiree, for giving her the motivation to move beyond others limitations and persevere to the finish-line.

Perhaps even more compelling is the fact that Stra doesn't play the female victim card----she eschews it. "I have always gotten respect from all the grooms, and all the workers, because I have always been nice. I have always been treated well, because I don't treat anybody differently from anyone else," she said.

As for the next big goal on her Jockey list, she paused and reflected a moment, "I want to hang in there and not let people down. I want to be an inspiration because I know how easy giving up is. I want to keep persevering." As for going back to Australia, Stra smiles as if she's seen the future numerous times, "At this moment, this is exactly where I am supposed to be."

Kayla Stra's in-depth radio interview will be available on iTunes under BTR: "The Body Politic," and can be heard immediately by going to www.suzannemarcusfletcher.com and clicking on "The Body Politic" podcast link. The Kayla Stra interview: "Portrait of A Contender" is the first in a special series on American thoroughbred racing on "The Body Politic," featuring the biggest players in the sport.

Suzanne Marcus-Fletcher is an internationally recognized journalist, new radio-host, non-fiction writer, and public relations "guru" who has earned a stellar reputation for solid, in depth reporting, and award-winning, advocacy journalism.

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