Sutherland-Kruse enjoying return to Woodbine

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Chantal Sutherland-Kruse made a risky decision to leave Santa Anita and return to Woodbine just ahead of the 2014 meet, but so far, the decision has paid off for the Sovereign Award-winning jockey.

Sutherland-Kruse sits in a tie for fifth in the Woodbine jockeys’ standings with five wins from 24 starts through the first three weeks of the meet and picked up her first Woodbine stakes win since July 2012 when she guided Purely Hot to a 3 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3, $159,300 Whimsical Stakes last Saturday.

For Sutherland-Kruse, the transition back to Woodbine has worked out well.

“It’s been really good,” she said. “Everyone’s been really nice, and I’m just having fun. I love my agent, Don Parente, and he’s doing a great job.”

Sutherland-Kruse was not originally listed to ride Purely Hot in the Whimsical but inherited the mount after Eurico Rosa Da Silva was involved in a paddock incident prior to a race earlier on the card. Sutherland-Kruse has won on several occasions this season by inheriting mounts from other riders on race day.

“She was easy to ride,” Sutherland-Kruse said of Purely Hot. “We figured the track was playing a little stalking, and it all worked out. When she wanted to run, it was great. She just took off.”

Tevis McCauley, the trainer for Purely Hot, had given a mount to Sutherland-Kruse on a previous occasion and turned to her again Saturday with limited time to find a replacement.

“I had ridden Chantal before back in 2009 on a 2-year-old Singspiel filly and felt like she gave her a great ride, and Chantal is a really good rider,” McCauley said. “I figured she’d fit the horse well. Chantal was the only other rider I could think of up there that had ridden for me before.”

Sutherland-Kruse can win her second stakes of the meet Saturday in the $125,000 Ballade Stakes, where she’ll ride Strut the Course for trainer Barbara Minshall. Minshall and Sutherland-Kruse teamed up to win the fourth race at Woodbine on Sunday with Crescent.

“I had a fair amount of success with her before she left for California, so when she decided to come back, it was a good fit,” Minshall said.