Emerald Downs announced April 13 that Sophia Mangalee has been hired as the Washington track’s new director of marketing.
A native of Peshastin, Wash., Mangalee will begin her new duties in early May, once she completes her current job as marketing manager at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey.
Mangalee is a 2006 graduate of the Racetrack Industry Program at the University of Arizona. She has spent the last six years at Monmouth Park, including the 2007 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and she also was a marketing intern at Emerald Downs in 2005.
“This is my dream job, ” she said. “Emerald Downs has some of the best people working here and some of the best fans in racing. I can’t wait to get started.”
Mangalee, who began riding horses at age 5, is a talented horseback rider. In 2011 she was one of only 13 riders to finish the renowned Mongol Derby, which at 1,000 kilometers (630 miles) is considered the world’s toughest horse race.
During the nine-day ordeal across the Mongolian Steppe, Mangalee rode 27 different “semi-wild” horses.
“It goes across the wide open plains, just like Genghis Khan,” Mangalee said of the Mongol Derby. “In nine days, I crossed two paved roads. It was an amazing adventure.”
Mangalee is married to jockey Navin Mangalee, who will compete at the upcoming Monmouth Park meeting. The native of Trinidad notched 61 victories while riding at Emerald Downs from 2004-06.