Chantal Sutherland (born February 23, 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian model, television personality and jockey in North American Thoroughbred horse racing. She is referred to as the Danica Patrick of horse racing. She is known for her appearances on the reality tv show, Jockeys on Animal Planet.
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Sutherland grew up in the Toronto, Ontario area where her father owns a horse farm. As a young girl she played competitive field hockey and was invited to try out for Canada's junior World Cup team. She rode horses in equestrian events but after graduating from York University with a degree in communications and psychology, decided to explore the opportunity to ride Thoroughbreds in flat racing.
On October 9, 2000 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Sutherland won her first career race. The following year she got her big break when she was voted the Sovereign Award as Canada's top apprentice jockey, repeating in 2002 when she was one of Canada’s highest-paid female athletes, earning $5.7 million in purses in eight months. She finished third in the Woodbine standings that year with 124 victories with earnings of $5,751,417. She finished 31st in the national earnings title in that same year as she earned $5,968,460 with victories of 136 and had 754 mounts. She remained in Canada until the end of 2004. In the winter of 2004, she rode the winter months in the Maryland Circuit riding at Laurel Park Racecourse.
In 2005, she went to race in Florida and New York where jockeys Angel Cordero, Jr., Shane Sellers and Edgar Prado helped her hone her skills. She rode the winter meet at Aqueduct in 2007. Her highlight in New York, was a victory in the Tom Fool Handicap with Smokume at Belmont Park. During her time in New York, she rode for hall of fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens and for trainer Todd Pletcher. In 2006, partnered Gigawatt to a win in the Grade 3 Miami Mile Handicap.
Sutherland quickly became a top rider in Canada, but as nice as her success was, she realized that riding in Canada was never going to land her in the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders Cup races, Sutherland knew Santa Anita Park for the winter meet, Woodbine for the summer meet is the place that high caliber jockeys call home which is why this year she has relocated to Southern California.
In 2007, she returned to Canada to ride at Woodbine after a 2 year stint in the New York and Florida circuit. She finished seventh in the Woodbine standings with 69 victories out of 572 mounts with earnings of $3,246,387. She finished 77th in the national earnings title that same year with 79 victories out of 668 mounts with earnings of $3,480,229.
From December 2007 to April 2008, Sutherland competed at Santa Anita Park in California, where she impressed racing fans and insiders. Retired U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens said: "She has become the queen of the longshots. She has won several photos against top jockeys, which shows she is a strong finisher." [1] Allen Gutterman, Santa Anita racetrack's head of marketing, said Sutherland "could become the best female jockey since Julie Krone." [1] Sutherland returned to Toronto for the 2008 racing season where on August 9 she rode five winners on a single race card. In the summer of 2008, she rode future Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird to stakes wins in the Silver Deputy, Swynford and Grey stakes at Woodbine and finished 12th aboard Mine That Bird in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. She also rode Van Lear Rose in that Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies as she finished sixith in the same year. She rode the 2008 Oak Tree meeting as she left Canada in October 2008 to ride in California as it lasted for 6 months out in California as she rode also the 2008 Hollywood Park fall meeting and the 2009 Santa Anita meeting.
In 2008, she finished seventh in the Woodbine standings with earnings of $4,947,630 and had 89 victories out of 590 mounts. Before she left for California in October 2008, she left Canada finishing third in the Woodbine standings but she finished seventh at the end. She finished 38th in the national earnings title with earnings of $5,937,965 and with victories of 116 out of 832 mounts.
She got publicity when she was one of the jockeys featured on the reality tv show Jockeys on Animal Planet. It lasted for two seasons.
Sutherland had an on-again-off-again relationship with hall of fame jockey Mike E. Smith for six years, up until 2010. Although engaged at one point, they broke the engagement in June 2010, two weeks before they raced each other at the Queen's Plate in Woodbine. In August 2011, the two were paired in a match race nicknamed the "Battle of the Exes".[2][3]
Sutherland finished second in the 2009 Woodbine jockey standings with earnings of $7,588,868 with victories of 139 and had 981 mounts. She finished in 2009 22nd in the national earnings title as she earned $7,451,964 with victories of 159 and had 1,131 mounts. She was a finalist for the 2009 Sovereign Awards for Outstanding Jockey of the year.
Sutherland is currently riding the 2010 Woodbine meet in Canada, though she has enjoyed some success in California, winning both the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes and the Grade 2 El Encino Stakes. She currently rides the winter at Santa Anita and the rest of the year at Woodbine.
Sutherland rode Game On Dude in the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 5, 2011. She lead into the stretch with Game On Dude seeking to become the first women jockey to win the Classic. She was passed by Drosselmeyer ridden by Mike E. Smith down the stretch, finishing 2nd to her ex-boyfriend.[4]
Chantal Sutherland's good looks have garnered much publicity. She has been featured in Sports Illustrated and had a four-page spread in Vogue magazine. As well, she was chosen one of People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People." In August 2008 it was announced that the Ottawa, Ontario-based cosmetics firm Mistura Inc. had signed Chantal Sutherland as the new face for their Mistura Beauty product line.
First introduced to horses through jumping and dressage. Played competitive field hockey, competing in the Women's Field Hockey Championships, playing for both the Under 21 Ontario team and the Senior Team, as well as the junior World Cup team. Graduated from York University in Communications and Psychology. Grew up on a farm as her father Hugh trained standardbreds. Has modeled and owns a pilot's license. Participated in the second annual Colombian Emeralds International Jockey Challenge on New Year's Day 2005 in Barbados, guided Maeve ($11.80) to victory in the first race, leading a 'Woodbine' sweep, as Jono Jones (Band Dancer) and Patrick Husbands (Blazing Colours) finished second and third, respectively. Appeared in a 2004 TV commercial for Esquire watches. She is the spokesperson for cosmetics company, Mistura Beauty. She has lent her time and efforts to several marketing and community endeavors at various racetracks throughout North America, including Woodbine Racetrack.
Sutherland will appear in six episodes of the television series Luck, set to debut in North America on HBO in February 2012.[5]
| Chart (2002–present) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002 | 31 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007 | 77 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008 | 38 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009 | 22 |
