LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JUNE 25, 2017—Jockey Laura Werner, a native of Stratford, England, enjoyed her first riding victory in the United States after piloting the 10-1 longshot Thoroughbred Rocky’s Rainbow to a dead-heat for first with the 6-5 favorite Vodka Texted You in the second race on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

"Amazing," Werner said of the win. "It feels really good. I’ve been working hard so this is great."

Werner, 21, began getting on horses when she was only 10-years-old in Stratford near London.

"I started in England, but then went to work in Australia," she added. "I went to race ride in New Zealand. I won four races in New Zealand. I like to go fast and I liked to ride the crazy ones. That’s how it all started. Los Alamitos is a good track to get experience. I ride at Santa Anita in the afternoons. It’s good to come here and get a few extra (mounts).

Werner credited top Australian trainers like Peter Moody for influencing her riding career.

"I worked with some premier trainers in Australia and got a chance to get on some really nice horses. I learned a lot from my experiences there."

As far as riding at Los Alamitos, Werner has truly enjoyed her experience and the strategy of guiding horses around this 5/8th oval.

"It’s tricky," she began. "It depends. A lot of people say you have to be fast out of the gate, but today my horse wasn't'’ too fast. You just have to save ground. You have to be smart."

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.