Courtesy of The Fresno Fair

Another year of horse racing at the Big Fresno Fair is in the books, and aside from the excitement of a long-shot winner or a photo finish, fans watched some of the most interesting jockeys in the sport.

United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee Russell Baze, 51, has raced at the Fresno Fair sporadically since 1976.

Baze is a household name on the circuit, an all-time jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and has banked more than 10,600 wins in his career. Baze also holds a record for winning more than 400 races in a year, which he has done on 10 separate occasions.

In contrast to Baze̢۪s hall of fame career, there was another compelling jockey who graced the dirt racetrack at the fair grounds this year that hopes to make a name for herself.

Twenty-four-year-old Kayla Stra, an Australian-born jockey, moved to California in 2008 to try and break into the American racing scene after winning more than 500 races in Australia.

For the past year Stra̢۪s racing home has been the highly competitive jockey colony in Santa Anita, Calif. This year marked Stra̢۪s first trip to Fresno.

“I don’t think of [Fresno] any differently,â€Â Stra said. “If I’m sitting on a horse it doesn’t matter where I am.â€Â

Although the Fresno races are cheaper for horses to enter (leading to smaller purses) than tracks such as Oak Tree or Del Mar, they still feature horses that can compete at a very high level.

“They’ve got good purses here and during the fairs we’re not racing anywhere else,â€Â Baze explained. “Unless you got enough money socked away that you can afford to sit around and be idle for two or three months every summer, the fairs are the place to come.â€Â

People outside of the horse racing world probably know Stra best by her appearances on Animal Planet’s documentary series, “Jockeys.â€Â Stra said that she is no longer doing the show and will focus exclusively on riding.

“I’m glad that it’s over because I’m back to being a jockey,â€Â Stra said. “I don’t have to worry about cameras in my face.â€Â

One of the many issues addressed in the documentary was the partiality shown to female jockeys, some of which hamper their opportunities to break into bigger races.

When asked, Baze commented on the lack of finishing strength most female jockeys display.

“When I first saw Kayla ride I wasn’t very impressed, it just didn’t look like she was a very strong rider,â€Â Baze admitted. “But recently I’ve seen a couple of her races and she looks like she’s doing a lot better … she’s improved quite a bit.â€Â

Stra doesn̢۪t see it as a female issue, but instead a test of personal work ethic.

“I think it’s an individual thing. I don’t think that its actually women being accepted. It’s more believing in yourself and people believing in you … I’m not trying to break any barriers or anything, I just want to ride,â€Â Stra said.

Stra said she would not be is Santa Anita much longer. She will soon join Baze at Golden Gate Fields, an American horse racing track located on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay, and has six mounts lined up on opening day alone.

Although Stra wasn’t sure if she would be back to the fair next year, she was certain about her future in horse racing. “It’s my life. I couldn’t live without it.â€Â