Santa Anita: Chantal Sutherland considering riding comeback

ARCADIA, Calif. – Retired jockey Chantal Sutherland exercised horses at Santa Anita on Thursday for the second time this month and said a comeback in the coming months is on her mind.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” she said.

Sutherland, 37, announced her retirement at Woodbine, near Toronto, last October after winning 931 races from 7,350 mounts, mostly in her native Canada. She is best known for winning the 2011 Santa Anita Handicap on Game On Dude, becoming the first female rider to win that race.

Sutherland later rode Game On Dude to a win in the 2011 Goodwood Stakes and a second-place finish in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Last year, Sutherland rode Game On Dude for three stakes wins – the San Antonio Stakes, Californian Stakes, and Hollywood Gold Cup – but lost the mount after a second in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Sutherland resides in Southern California with husband, Dan Kruse.

In recent months, Sutherland has largely stayed away from Southern California racing but did do commentary on the TVG network for the Santa Anita Handicap program March 2. On Thursday, she exercised horses for trainers Mike Machowsky, Jeff Mullins, and Tim Yakteen.

“I miss it,” she said.

Sutherland said any comeback would hinge on lengthy discussions with Kruse about the commitment involved. The couple lives about 40 miles from Santa Anita in Huntington Beach.

“I think he likes me being his wife,” she said.

Hollywood keeps low pick 5 take

Hollywood Park will continue to offer a 50-cent pick 5 with a 14 percent takeout at its spring-summer meeting, the track announced Wednesday.

The takeout rate, significantly lower than the 23.68 percent for other multirace exotic wagers, is consistent with recent Hollywood Park meetings and other California tracks for the pick 5 but was under threat for the upcoming meeting.

Last month, Hollywood Park President Jack Liebau told the California Horse Racing Board that discussions were underway between the track and the Thoroughbred Owners of California about a distribution of revenue for the pick 5. At the time, no resolution had been reached, which left the possibility that the meeting could start with a higher pick-5 takeout.

The low takeout in the pick 5 has helped the bet become one of the most popular wagers in Southern California.

◗ Santa Anita Derby hopeful Goldencents, who won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes in January, worked six furlongs in 1:16 on Thursday. Trained by Doug O’Neill, Goldencents was fourth in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes over 1 1/16 miles March 9.