Trainer Lauren Robson saddled her first career winner Thursday, bringing a rather extensive resume with her into the Gulfstream Park winner's circle.
“I came over from England in 2004. I worked for various, really good trainers. I was an assistant for Jonathan Sheppard, Wesley Ward and Jerry Hollendorfer,” Robson said. “I galloped for Todd Pletcher. I rode many good horses for him. There were other good trainers I worked for also, like Richard Mandella.”
Robson saddled Jabran to a 3 1/2-length victory under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in Race 2, a five-furlong maiden claiming event for 3-year-olds on Tapeta.
“I'm really happy Johnny rode him. He's been a longtime friend, he and his wife Leona,” Robson said. “It's great to get the first one under my name.”
A tragic accident that left her husband, former jockey Rudy Delguidice, paralyzed led Robson into training a small stable at Gulfstream.
“I was in Ocala. We were breaking and training horses, and my husband had an accident and broke his neck in July 2022,” Robson recalled. “So, we came down here for him to do his rehab, and I thought to myself, 'Well, since I have these couple horses, I just may as well train them myself.'”
Following her first training success on her own, Robson doesn't aspire to build a large stable in the future.
“This is fun for me and my husband. He comes out in the morning to watch the horses train. It keeps him involved,” she said. “I'm hoping to get a few more, but I'm not looking to have too many. I'd like to be kind of small and be hands-on, get on my own horses and just do good with what I've got. I'd like young horses. I've learned from some good people. It makes me happy to get the best out of each individual.”
Robson owns Jabran, a son of Munnings, and co-owns British Empress, a 4-year-old maiden daughter of Classic Empire. Jabran was only Robson's 10 starter dating back to Sept. 30.
“When you only have two horses, it seemed to take a while,” Robson said. “I guess if you had 20 horses, it would be a week's worth of runners.”
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