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Chantal Sutherland odds of winning the 2011 Breeders Cup Classic were set at 10-1 at Churchill Downs-owned TwinSpires.com.
No, Chantal Sutherland is not a filly. She’s the jockey who will ride Game On Dude (oh the irony) at 10-1 odds.
Sutherland is looking to become the first female to win the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
Robyn Norwood of ESPN.com:
Until now, Sutherland, 35, has been known for her good looks, her success as a rider in her native Canada and her past relationship with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, but never for reaching the grand stages of American racing: the Triple Crown races and the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Chantal Sutherland is more than a pretty face at the racetrack.
The 5-foot-2, 111-pound jockey has been photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue, named to People's "Most Beautiful People" list and featured along with Smith and others in the Animal Planet series "Jockeys" as well as in the upcoming HBO drama "Luck."
Game On Dude, a 4-year-old gelding, gave Sutherland the biggest win of her career in March in the Santa Anita Handicap, Southern California's premier race. Sutherland survived a tense 12-minute stewards' inquiry into a bumping incident before the result became official, making her the first woman jockey to win the Big 'Cap.
****US horse bettors are welcome to join the online race book owned by Churchill Downs, TwinSpires.com. Credit cards, electronic checks (recommended as race draws closer), Green Dot cards all accepted. Open your accounts as early as possible please due to crunch time traffic and potential credit card hold times for age verification. A $100 FREE CASH BONUS will be credited after meeting specified betting requirements.
Game On Dude’s last big win was the Goodwood Stakes on Oct. 10, which ultimately qualified him – and Sutherland – for a spot in this year’s Breeders Cup Classic.
"Under pressure, like in big races, she doesn't get nervous," said Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer who has put five riders on Game On Dude in 10 races but has stuck with Sutherland in the past four Grade I stakes.
"I've seen some riders come out, and you can tell they're nervous and feeling the pressure," Baffert said. "I've never seen that in her. But again, this is going to be the biggest race of her life."
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
