Meet Kayla StraThe New Girl
Kayla Stra The New Girl
Meet the JockeysKayla's Stats Kayla Stra was born in Australia, where she launched her career in horseracing prior to moving to California in 2008. From a very young age, Stra was interested in horses, having talked her parents into buying her a pony when she was eight years old. During her late childhood and adolescence, Stra worked at racing stables and eventually bought her first horse — a Thoroughbred named Gurtie, which she trained on her own for picnic races (unregistered race horses) before getting her certificate in racing. Stra acknowledges her first trainer, Ray Moore, as someone who has had a strong influence in her life. Moore taught Stra how to be a horseman — how to communicate with horses by reading their body language and having a keen feel for what they're thinking. Stra credits John Letts as one of her mentors for his outstanding jockey career, having won three Melbourne Cups and hundreds upon hundreds of stake races. As an apprentice, Stra was always in the top five riders and won all her premierships. During this time, she began traveling to different tracks to learn more from those experiences. Stra eventually racked up approximately 500 victories in her native country and became the "poster girl" for Australian horseracing. Now, she hopes to continue that success in the much larger US market. But here, she will face the toughest competitors in the world — serious professional athletes who are not likely to cut any slack for the new girl. Outside of horseracing, Stra enjoys the company of her close friends and family (including all animals) and focusing on her dreams. |
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