Toronto, ON – Horse racing fans have an opportunity to see a side of thoroughbred racing they may have never seen before with the debut of ‘JOCKEYS,’ a 12-part docudrama that chronicles the lives and careers of seven riders, including Canadian champion Chantal Sutherland.
The show, which premieres in Canada on Saturday, February 7 at 9 p.m. ET on Animal Planet, will focus on the work and lives of jockeys Jon Court, Aaron Gryder, Mike Smith, Alex Solis, Kayla Stra, Joe Talamo and Sutherland.
Sutherland, a two-time Sovereign Award winner (2001 and 2002) as Canada’s top apprentice, is prominent throughout the series. One of the storylines details her off-track relationship with Smith.
How difficult was it for Sutherland to open up her personal life?
“At first it was kind of a little awkward having so many cameras in your house,” said Sutherland, who won her first race on October 9, 2000, at Woodbine aboard Silver Bounty. “It felt kind of weird but after a while you get so used to the cameras, you get used to the guys who are working with you and everything kind of got easy for us.
“Mike has done a lot of stuff with TV and because of the uniqueness of being a woman in the industry, I’ve had my own involvement with cameras and TV and photo shoots.”
Liz Bronstein, executive producer of the show, was pleased with the openness shown by the riders.
“They’re really fun,” said Bronstein. “They’re really fun to be around. They’re funny; they’re lighthearted. They have a great time. I always thought that they were just going to be very serious and boring.”
Sutherland points to a number of funny moments, including one particular evening at Smith’s house.
“You get a bunch of jockeys together and we start having a pushup contest and there’s a lot of laughing and joking and I remember after the party the camera crew had said, “You guys are so much fun. We’d love to hang out with you when we’re not filming you.”
Sutherland, who’ll turn 33 on February 23, has made a name for herself both on and off the racetrack.
The York University graduate, who was first introduced to horses through jumping and dressage, has 534 career wins, including 26 stakes victories, through February 4.
Last year, Sutherland won 89 races at Woodbine, along with $4.9-million in purse earnings, before heading to the U.S. to film the series. She finished seventh overall in the standings.
Sutherland has also been in the spotlight away from the races, having been featured in the 2006 edition of Vogue magazine, photographed by Annie Leibovitz and was selected as one of ‘People Magazine’s Top 100 Most Beautiful People’ in 2006. The Winnipeg native is also the face of Mistura Beauty, an Ottawa-based cosmetics company.
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