The Horses
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C HA N TA L
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Don’t you wish your jockey was
HOT LIKE ME?
he’s fierce, focused, and sexy. In head-to-toe hot pink silks, this Canadian has taken the Del Mar racing scene by storm. As the most recent poster girl for the track, Chantal Sutherland shares what life is like as a jockey, what playful banter goes on behind-the-scenes, how she found love along the Del Mar coastline and what life has been like settling down in Huntington Beach.
Q: What’s your favorite aspect of racing? CHANTAL SUTHERLAND: You don’t have to be a jockey or a horse trainer to be involved in the sport. Anyone and everyone can participate in it, from spectating to owning. It’s like an onion too. There are so many layers to it. From understanding the rules of the track to the players to the game. Q: You grew up around horses? CS: Yes, I did! My dad has a hobby farm, where he owns and raises a lot of thoroughbreds and standardbreds. Q: How do you prep for a race? CS: In the jock room, I review all the race replays of the horses. Then I go through the racing forms and stats of each horse. With all that information, I can place where I’d be in the race (position-wise) and where I’d want to be. Then I visualize whom I need to beat. I also look at who’s the favorite and what opportunities I have to improve on the horse’s last performance. Q: There are both mental and physical elements to the race. What’s required of you? CS: Physically speaking, you need to be: small, extremely fit, strong, and well balanced. It’s a sport that demands both your upper and lower body to work with one another. You need a high endurance, because you’re doing both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Mentally, you need to be in an aggressive mindset. It’s very tense on the track. Personally, I’m both very aggressive and calm. I’m ready to attack when necessary. Q: Are there weight classes for jockeys (similar to wrestling)? CS: Definitely, except instead of the jockey’s weight, it’s the horses. Our saddles can fluctuate our weight up to five pounds. So we try to keep our bodies at around 112 pounds and then choose lighter or heavier saddles when needed. Q: What’s a non-race day look like? CS: Usually we have Monday’s and Tuesday’s off. Those are our weekends. I typically file my taxes and keep bills up to date; exercise (there’s a lot of that required); clean my gear; but most importantly, I relax and chill out. Q: You announced retirement. Is that still true? CS: Yes and no. I have been racing for 15 plus years. It’s hard to juggle with life. I only have Tuesdays off. I hadn’t realized how time consuming my career was. I hadn’t seen my family in awhile. So I took a break. I was tired and my body needed it. That lasted six months. I started dreaming about racing again. I feel refreshed and happy, now, so I’m going back to what I love!
Q: What is the camaraderie on the track like between fellow jockeys? CS: Oh the boys tease each other a lot! They play around, they joke. As a girl, they tease me too. It’s juts like elementary school. They only tease you if they like you. Like they’ll make fun of what I’m wearing. But it’s all in good fun! Q: Now let’s talk about Del Mar. It holds a special place in your heart, doesn’t it? CS: Yes it does. I met my husband there! After winning the Santa Anita Handicap (in 2011), I stayed in California for the summer. I then made my way to Del Mar where my horse owner set me up on a blind date with Dan (now my husband). So not only was winning Santa Anita my career highlight, but it led to a beautiful outcome! Q: Speaking of your husband, I was watching your interview on Conan O’Brien (awesome job by the way), and you two talked about your husband’s insane allergy to horses. Truth? CS: Yeah, he’s really allergic to them! We noticed it after breakfast a few times. I’d be out riding and them come in to eat. He’d start to breakout and wouldn’t be able to talk. So now that we’ve figured that out, I keep my hair in my helmet and then when I get home from work, I take off all my clothes in the garage, throw them into the laundry, and walk into the house. It’s a unique arrangement, but whatever, he’s my husband! Q: Oh the irony! But hey, love found you in Southern California and now you’re living here. CS: Yes! Yes it did. Dan and I live in Huntington Beach and love it. It’s so nice to be close to the Del Mar track, and to have to drive along the coast to work, come on!
F U N FAC T S Favorite band: Kings of Leon Favorite midnight snack: Panda black licorice Favorite OC hangout: Pelican Isle in Huntington Beach Most unique nickname: Chantalinka Summer fashion style: White jeans, cool top, stilettos and a scarf Ideal vacation destination: the Surf and Sand Hotel in Laguna Beach Dream car: Ferrari or Lamborghini in a really cool, light purple color