Sutherland targets December return to riding

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Chantal Sutherland, who has not ridden since July 2014, is planning a comeback in December.

Sutherland, 39, has been exercising horses at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita for the last two months and said Sunday in the Santa Anita barn area she is targeting a full-time return to riding Dec. 26, opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Sutherland said she may ride sparingly at Los Alamitos during that track’s winter meeting from Dec. 3-20 to regain fitness.

Sutherland has not ridden in Southern California since April 2014. She rode at Woodbine in the late spring and early summer of 2014 before quitting because of what she described as “burnout.” In the last year, she has earned a real estate license and been active in that capacity but said she sought a return to riding races.

“It’s been six months that I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “I’ve missed it so much.”

Sutherland is best known for winning the 2011 Santa Anita Handicap on Game On Dude, becoming the first woman rider to win that race.

Even though she plans a return to riding, Sutherland said she would like to continue to work in real estate when time permits. She admits the real estate business can have its frustrations.

“There are so many leads, and so many times it doesn’t happen,” she said of potential sales.

This is not the first time Sutherland has returned from an apparent retirement. She quit riding in October 2012 but was back in action the following June for a one-year period.

In September, Sutherland began working for Mike Marlow, an assistant trainer to Bob Baffert who directs the Baffert stable at Los Alamitos. In recent weeks, Sutherland has focused on riding workouts in preparation for a return to racing. On Sunday morning, she rode workouts for trainers such as Mike Pender and Simon Callaghan.

Sutherland said her comeback has the support of husband Dan Kruse.

“He wants me to be happy and stop talking about it and just do it,” she said.