Jockey Eliska Kubinova Makes Hollywood Debut

Eliska (pronounced el-ish-ka) Kubinova, a riding sensation this year at Emerald Downs and Portland Meadows, makes her Betfair Hollywood Park debut Sunday. And what a way to begin. She’ll be in the Zenyatta colors aboard Valeria in the ninth race for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs.

 

Kubinova, a 23-year-old from Jesenik in the Czech Republic, spent three years in a Prague riding school before her wanderlust took over. She did some traveling in Europe and then accepted an opportunity to be an exchange student at Syracuse University. After six months in New York, she wanted to see more of the United States and left for Seattle. Her love of horses brought her to Emerald Downs, where she started getting on horses in the morning. Within a year she got her first mount and three rides later picked up her first victory September 10, 2011.

 

She went on to Portland Meadows, where she quickly caught on and posted 66 winners. It was at Emerald Downs earlier this year where she really took off.

 

She wound up winning 76 races, an Emerald record for an apprentice, from 416 mounts. She also had 71 seconds and 61 thirds, meaning her mounts were in the money an even 50 per cent of the time.

 

The travel bug struck her again and she was especially curious to see California, Los Angeles in particular. Shy by nature, Kubinova began wandering around the backstretch asking trainers to work some horses. Her agent, George Ortuzar, picks up the story.

 

Now comes the acid test. Valeria is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line and will break from post eight.