16-year-old girl rides Czech Derby winner
2010-06-28The 90th renewal of the Fortuna Czech Derby was run on a fine midsummer afternoon, June 27th, and ended in a comfortable win for British-bred Talgado, by Lomitas, out of a Zafonic mare.
Talgado finished 3 lengths ahead of Polish-bred Ulan, by Exaltation, with Irish-bred Miracle Match a further 3¾ lengths behind. Talgado had won the main Derby trial, but eyebrows were raised and interest was aroused when it was announced that the horse, owned by Lider Racing Stable and trained by Filip Neuberg, was to be ridden by 16-year-old Maria Magdalena Rossak, daughter of the owners. Riding as an amateur under the name Magdalena Rossakova, she had ridden a winner in 2008, and she has since qualified as a rider in Panama. At the half way point, Talgado was in last position, but his rider moved him up round the last bend, and the horse in the black colours with red stars on the arms hit the front and comfortably outstayed the rest of the field. Maria Magdalena is the first Slovak woman to win a Derby. The Czech Derby was one of the first Derbies to be won by a woman rider, when Mila Hermansdorferova won on Crapom in 1972, and Maria Magdalena is only the second woman to win the race. She must be the youngest-ever winning rider of any Derby. The race was won in record time, 2 minutes 28,46 seconds.
