The Meadowlands Racetrack opened March with another installation of the International Women’s Day event featuring 10 ladies lining up behind the gate in race five of the Saturday (March 8) evening card, in addition to presenting an on-camera and behind-the-scenes staff comprised fully of women. The race drew their field of 10 drivers from all over, including overseas as the race winner, Victoria Gill made the trek from the Cayman Islands. Starting from post nine on the car was Alexandra Sarkine, a 31-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana. Sarkine primarily drives at fair tracks across Indiana with a handful of starts at Hoosier Park as well. She has 89 lifetime starts with a record of 11-17-15. “I was incredibly nervous! I’m very competitive and take how I drive seriously,” Sarkine said. “I want to be safe but also look like I belong out there. So here I am this girl coming from the fairs to the biggest track in the country and with the nine hole!” At post time on the frigid evening at The Big M, Sarkine sent Jeff Cullipher trainee Always In Flight hard from the outer wings on the track towards the front. “When I got behind the gate and looked at everyone I was like screw it, let’s roll and see what we can do,” Sarkine recalled. In the early shuffle, Sarkine was caught on the outside in sixth at the 27 4/5 quarter, and from then on she raced the mile parked in seventh. “I was pretty comfortable where I was at and tried to remind myself be patient,” said Sarkine. “When we straightened up and I moved my mare, I was pretty surprised at how much horse I had.” As the field straightened out for home, Sarkine advanced with Always In Flight to bridge the gap between herself and the field’s leaders. With a 29 3/5 final quarter, the pair maneuvered a show finish in the featured event. “When I realized we were hitting the board, it felt like such a huge win,” Sarkine said beaming. “Nine hole, parked to [the] finish and strong like that? Wow, what a blessing and experience! I’m still on the high of it.” The start was the first on the big stage for Sarkine, whose career in driving began in 2019. “I had to remind myself to take in the experience and just have fun. When I went out to post parade it really hit me. Here I was out here with some legit female drivers. Unreal! I always pray before I go out and when I post parade, and I just kept thanking God for the opportunity. And as I went by the grandstand, I heard my friends cheering me on and it was just such a surreal feeling,” said the young driver. Sarkine’s roots extend with a lifelong background in horse experience through riding and showing, but she only became involved in harness racing at the age of 18. “I’ve been a horse girl my whole life. I ride for fun. In fact, my jumping horse is a retired race horse and my other I took to the outriding clinic in 2023 is a Standardbred, too,” Sarkine said. “I found [my first racing] job on Craigslist when I was 18 and started working for Mike Hollenback. He actually let me jog and train a couple times that first year. [Then] I left for school and when I came back, I decided I wanted to go back working for him. I started really training in 2014. I talked about driving, but it just never worked out to get my license. Then, in 2019, I got it. “I had three fair starts where I hit the board each time,” Sarkine continued. “In 2023, I got partnered up with Larry Pointdexter who let me drive some of his horses at the fair and that’s when things started to kick off. Last year I broke a track record at Kentland with his filly Little Lucky Lady. And had my first driving double with her and Celtic Tiger.” Sarkine won her first race at the Corydon Fair with Hollenback’s Check Point Six. In 2023, she began driving in more starts and in 2024, she had her breakout season with a record of 7-7-2 in 23 starts and UDRs of .502. “My goals would be to have an even better driving season this year, not just at the fairs, but now with my P [provisional]. Also to have a successful training season as well,” said Sarkine, who owns two of her horses in addition to having a stable of 13. “I jog and train horses every day. And I started the new year back at the gym five times a week to get ready for racing and horse show season,” said Sarkine. Her show season is highlighted by her two Standardbreds, one of which she attended the USTA’s outriding clinic with in 2023. “[The outriding clinic] was just another thing I wanted to try,” said the driver/trainer. “I’d definitely say maybe later on down the road it could be something I’d think about, but right now I love driving and training, so maybe do this a little while longer and revisit that. It was such a learning experience and gave me a new respect for what they do.” One person’s trash is another’s treasure and strangely enough Sarkine views her biggest obstacle as a willingness to be daring in the horse world. “My biggest flaw is I’m incredibly fearless when it comes to the horses. So I’m always wanting to try new things. From jumping, cross country, and driving to the outriding clinic, I really want to try it all. But I’m blessed to have two horses that would ride through fire for me.” In the race season and on the track, Sarkine can be recognized by her pink and black colors adorned by a cross on each sleeve. They make her easily identifiable and certainly stand out in a crowd of drivers on the track. “I wanted to be different so I went with pink and black,” Sarkine explained. “I wanted to make sure I represented my faith with the crosses.” And so, the 31-year-old Indiana native who started at the fairs was quite easy to spot at The Meadowlands on March 8 as she added another new experience to her list and got to represent ladies around the world in the yearly event on International Women’s Day. “I told myself 20 years from now, do I want to look back and regret not taking opportunities? So, I finally got my P license. I did one race at Hoosier, gave the horse a great trip, but she tied up. Then, my friends actually pushed me to go to The Meadowlands and it was the best decision I’ve made in a while,” said Sarkine. “I’d say I think tracks should really start adding more women’s events. It’s such an exciting race and usually the highest betting race!” True to her words, handle on the Women’s race was a healthy $262,597, good for second-highest on the Saturday card. Clearly bettors want more!