ARCADIA, Calif. — As the daughter of a jockey, Christina Blacker spent nearly every day of her childhood at the Santa Anita race track.

In fact, she was born into a community dedicated to horses and the sport of racing.

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“My mom actually scheduled a c-section on a Tuesday because there was no racing that day so my dad could be here for when I was born,” Blacker said.

She was just four-years-old when she first jumped into a saddle herself and fell in love with thoroughbreds.