Interview: Jockey Chantal Sutherland
09/04/2009
They're Back in the Saddle Again
Aren't you glad Jockeys is galloping through a new season? These last two Fridays' broadcasts have taken us right back to the heart of the action at the track. For Season Two, the riders' ultimate quest is to reach the most famous race in the world, the Kentucky Derby. Dozens of cameras are capturing the daily details and difficult moments of the racetrack world, from hopes that a favorite horse will not be claimed away from his trainer, to the never-ending worries over weight (are you munching chips while watching Jockeys, or have you switched to carrot sticks?).
As loyal "Jockeys" viewers know, these riders have a grueling lifestyle, so very different from that of other professional athletes. And often, the margin between success and failure is as slender and delicate as a thoroughbred's leg.
Up Close With Chantal!
Chantal Sutherland is back for her second season on the series, and we've already seen new glimpses of her life around the racetrack. During a busy morning, she took time out for a conversation with The Mole:
Chantal, you must have heard this question a lot after the Kentucky Derby, but you had ridden Mine That Bird before he became famous as the surprise Derby winner. What was he like to ride?
When I first got him, I liked him right away, but he didn't work too well. We (the trainer and I) talked about what it would take to get him to run. Turns out he likes to chase other horses, and that's how we ran him. As for personality, a bomb could go off beside him and he wouldn't react. If you make noise, he'll move his ears but he doesn't jump like most thoroughbreds. He's sensitive but he's just like a cool dude.
You've been a jockey for nine years now. What's the biggest way the game has changed?
The biggest is the synthetic track surfaces. It's so controversial. I find that some of the dirt tracks can be very cuppy and you stumble a lot. For a jockey, well, you don't want to fall down. On the synthetic surface, it doesn't get all clunky. When it rains, the dirt tracks are rock-hard like a highway and you feel them thundering under you. When you ride on synthetic, you don't feel as much. I'm a patient rider, and I think that a patient rider on a synthetic surface is always good.
By now everyone knows that jockeys struggle with their weight. How do you maintain your riding weight and what's the food you just cannot eat when you're trying to make weight?
Bread and pasta, can't have it, can't even look at it. I find if you eat fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, and take a lot of vitamins and vitamin supplements-- I'm vitamin crazy. But all that works. I love fruit and drink lots of water. I used to drink Perrier water and wondered why I'd get heavy. I didn't know there was sodium in it. And cereal, I have to be careful, the sugar and honey in there will make you heavy. Protein is good but if you eat too much, it bulks up the muscles. You just have to work really hard and you start to learn what works.
You rode jumpers and dressage horses growing up, just like Julie Krone (the top woman jockey in racing history). Did you have Olympic ambitions?
Yes I did, at age 11-12. I had a private coach who wanted me to continue toward that dream. You need a lot of money to go after that. Then my parents divorced, I took my horse with me to boarding school, and I realized I was sick of horses! All I had done from ages 5-13 was horses, and I wanted to do other things. So I played hockey, soccer, did downhill skiing. After I had that break, I fell in love with horses all over again.
When did you decide to become a jockey?
In college I knew I wanted to be an athlete, not a psychologist. I told my Dad and he said we'd talk about it after I finished college. He thought I'd forget about it but I was so determined, even though I knew there weren't that many girl jockeys. And here I am.
I know you and Kayla Stra are on the show this season, and in general, there seem to be a few more women jockeys than in the past, but isn't it still a pretty uneven mix?
You should see all the girl jockeys at Woodbine, there are hardly any men! Maybe it's easier in Canada, but the girl riders coming along are really good. You're going to see a LOT more coming up too, a lot who are starting now. (Hall of Famer) Chris McCarron says at his Jockey School, most of the riders are girls. Sometimes it IS tough to get a trainer to put (a woman jockey) on a horse but as long as you're winning, it doesn't matter if you're PURPLE, they'll use you! That's the key for anyone, you have to win.
How hard is it to maintain a personal life as a jockey?
I've tried dating and it's almost impossible. They start going out at 9 p.m., and I'm exhausted long before that! It just doesn't fit this life. It's why we all meet people in racing. [Chantal's current boyfriend is Mike Smith, who also appears on "Jockeys."]
What do you do for fun away from the track?
I like to get my nails done--right now, they're a bright pinky-orange. I have a girlfriend who's got a pool and we hang out there. I do like to shop but try not to do that too much. I'll go to the gym--I know it's exercise but it's different. I love Lady Gaga on my ipod,and lots of dance music, that I work out to.
I know jockeys are supposed to be cool and objective, but do you get attached to the horses you ride?
There are some horses I really like and others I don't. lt's like people, they're all different. With some you have to be very careful around them, don't tell them what to do because they're the boss, they're moody, they don't like to be hit, but they try extremely hard. And then there are the young colts who are playful and buck. You have to tell them to listen to you. One that I rode this morning was playing around and didn't want to go. So I tapped him on the butt and he started moving, but wouldn't go in the gate. They'll only take so much from you. You have to keep them focused, because they'll be looking at a bird in a tree or something else they're watching.
What's a typical day like for you?
I'm usually up by 5-5:30 a.m., it depends on what time I have to be at the track, usually I'm there by 7. I'll get my dogs (two greyhounds), make up a bag of clothes for after the track. I'll work (exercise) horses till around 10, then I'll go or a jog or in the sauna. I'll nap for an hour, then at 11:30 we have to blow for the breathalyzer. The races start at 1, I'll ride my races, get home at 7. And do it all again the next day.
Chantal Sutherland, thanks for talking to The Mole. We'll be watching as you go to the races this season.
WATCH VIDEO: The Secret Lives of Female Jockeys
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