This interview, taken by Jana Šejnohová, first appeared on the Czech language pages of Dostihov svět on 11 February 2019. Translated by Robin.

Bulgarian brothers Sertash and Beysim Ferhanov both achieved a breakthrough last year in Czech horseracing. The older brother, Sertash, had already been earning the respect of our leading trainers over fences for two or three years, but his convincing performance in becoming our champion jockey over fences in 2018 has really established him here http://www.dostihovy-svet.cz/en/node/8339. His younger brother, Beysim, who rides on the flat, broke through very suddenly last year, riding a lot of winners, including Dylanka (photo), winner of both the Czech Oaks and the Slovak Oaks. Both brothers have demonstrated that a talented rider can come to the Czech Republic, work hard, and build a reputation and the foundations of a career here.

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Twenty-five year-old Beysim Ferhanov won a total of 22 races in the course of the 2018 season, including classic wins in the Czech Oaks and in the Slovak Oaks, on Dylanka. He converted more than 34% of his rides into winners, and he took second place in our professional jockeys’ championship. How has he been spending the winter, and what colours will we see him wearing in 2019? Read on!

I don’t suppose you are going to give a low grade to a season in which you rode twice as many winners as you had ridden in your whole career before that!
2018 was an excellent season for me. I’d never imagined that I was going to win four Category I races in a single year.

What brought you the biggest satisfaction last year? 
The biggest satisfaction came from winning the June Grand Prix Derby trial on Saul, and then winning on Dylanka in the Czech Oaks.

And what did not go right last year, what are you dissatisfied about? 
Finishing in second place in the jockeys’ championship. However, I’m an optimist, and I know that each coin has two sides. Some things work out, and others don’t. Where things don’t turn out right, I try to learn something for next time.

In the upcoming season we are going to see you mainly in the green-and-white colours of the Rabbit Trhový Štěpánov stable. What persuaded you to leave the championship winning training centre of the Vocásek family and move to south Bohemia? [Trhový Štěpánov is just south of the D1 motorway, one third of the way between Prague and Brno] 
I wanted to change some things in my life that had not been turning out quite right. Unfortunately. But every cloud has a silver lining, and I see this as a new opportunity.

Are you going to be the stable jockey for this ambitious team? 
I haven’t spoken about that yet with trainer [Allan] Petrlík. Of course, I’d like to be the number 1 rider, and to be a challenger for the jockeys’ championship again.

Does that mean that winning the jockeys’ championship is your top target for the coming season? 
Yes, I want to win as many races as I can. No matter whether they are Category III or Category I races. Each win is something great for me, and I value every one of them. It’s also important to remain healthy all season. That’s something I hope for.

Although there is not a lot of free time, and especially when there are horses around, what do you enjoy doing when there is no racing? 
I try to relax and switch off for a while. I like to be with my family and friends. There isn’t much time for that during the season.

For a jockey, it is very important to be in good condition. How do you keep in good shape? 
I ride horses in training, and that keeps me pretty fit for the present. I’m a young man, and I keep myself in good shape all the time.