Stakes is High for Kayla Stra

Photos by Jessica Haye and Clark Hsiao

At age 24, Australian jockey Kayla Stra has already racked up over five hundred victories, including the big ones down under: Adelaide, Melbourne, and the Marion Stakes. Now featured on Animal Planet’s “Jockeys,” Stra has relocated to California in search of new challenges to conquer.

Theme: What was your childhood like in Australia?
Kayla Stra: I was born in Adelaide, I grew up [in the countryside]—lots of horses around.

Did your parents influence your decision to start riding?
No. I was pretty much the only one in the family to start in the racing industry. But when my parents met, my dad was actually racing motocross. Maybe that’s how I got the racing in my blood.
I never really wanted to be a jockey; it was more that I just loved horses. When I was younger I wasn’t the best with people, so I stuck to horses. I wanted to take it further, so I left school early, when I was 13, to go work at a stable with a trainer. I exercised the horses in the mornings and helped groom, saddle, and feed them. I learned everything—not just the riding—but the horseman part as well.

Is it normal to drop out in order to start racing?
I was just getting into trouble at school, with teachers and with my own parents. I had a bad history when I was younger, a bit of a bad side. I was just a troublemaker.

Does that side of you play into your racing?
I think so—it’s such a tough sport to be in. I was lucky early in my career. I came out leading apprentice and leading jockey my first season of riding. The horses just ran for me. [In the stables] the trainers usually will pick a horse they like and want you to run. I suppose it caught a lot of people’s attention.

What was your first race like?
Sad. I was 17, excited to be out there. It was a mile race—I was on the middle track at Clare —we came out of the gates really well, did everything right, but he had a little too much pressure on him. Broke the leg, and didn’t finish the race. My first win was at Port Lincoln, just a few months later. I learned a lot about racing itself—the industry and people I had to deal with. Earning a lot of money when I was young, figuring out taxes and bills, also taught me a lot about life in general.

Was it difficult transitioning between Australia and the States?
It freshened me up, learning new things: patience, tolerance. I would watch other riders. They [American jockeys] push their horses forward sooner, so their fractional times—that’s the time halfway, three quarters through a race—are a lot faster. I learned to use the horse’s speed, to go that little bit quicker instead of saving them so much.

The only thing that bothers me is having to establish myself. Back in Australia, before a race, I’d be able to pick which horse I wanted, but here, they haven’t given me the easiest time. They say it’s the toughest jockey colony in the world to get into—that’s a little overrated, but at the same time, but I have to prove I can compete.

Your other US first is a new TV show on Animal Planet —“Jockeys”—which premiered in February. What’s the Hollywood experience been like?
During promotions, I stayed in the Hilton and had my own driver. That was really cool, but I didn’t feel like a jockey. When I leave the track after a day of racing, I want to go home, relax, but sometimes they’re like, okay, Kayla, time for you do an interview now!

Keeping with our theme this issue of A Day in the Life, could you just walk me through your day?
I’ll get up at around 5am, have my coffee, and go down to the track to see where I’m needed. The morning work usually starts at 5:30, and we’re done by 9:30.

Are you by yourself?
No, my agent, Mike Viani, is usually there to help with picking which horses I get on to which trainers. You’re trying to show interest in their horses, and get the ride. Hopefully they’re happy with your work, since we don’t get paid for mornings. We usually get to the first race about an hour before post time, so that’s 11am or so. The last race finishes around 4:30pm. Then I’ll go home or straight to the jockeys’ room for a run or a sweat in the sauna in order to make sure my weight is okay. [The other riders and I] go out to dinner sometimes, but I don’t have a lot of energy when I get home. I take the dog for a walk, get to my dirty laundry—it’s usually piled to the sky.

Anything special on race days?
I just make sure I’ve had a good night’s sleep.

You’re in an incredibly dangerous profession—how do you combat that kind of pressure?
It’s scary seeing my friends go through injuries that they sometimes can’t recover from. Race falls—I’ve probably only had four in my life. I broke a bone in my foot, tore a tendon in my ankle. I swear my memory is really bad because of the concussions. I’ve been lucky. You can’t think about it. If you do, you might as well just give it up.

Last thing: tell me about a moment that makes it all worth it.
Winning [my first] stakes race in Australia. Higher quality race with tougher competition and better prize money, so it means a lot more. The owner of the horse didn’t want me to ride him—I was only 20. But my boss—he kicked it up for me—got me the ride. It was a really great feeling.