Post by Peter Gross on Nov 19, 2009 5:07:36 GMT -5
In the next issue of Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper, we're going all estrogen, dedicating most of the paper to the remarkable accomplishments of female horses, lady jockeys and trainers in 2009. The following is my attempt to get Chantal Sutherland some attention for the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as the Canadian Female Athlete of the Year:
Why Chantal Sutherland is the Female Athlete of the Year
Next month (December), sports editors across Canadawill cast their ballots for the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award which goes to the woman judged to be Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year. In 2009, it should go to Chantal Sutherland, and though the voters will have a wide field from which to choose, Sutherland should be an almost unanimous winner.
There are two big reasons why. One: Sutherland is completing a sensational year of riding; and Two: otherwise, it has been a surprisingly undistinguished year for all of the other potential candidates.
On the first issue; in her tenth year as a professional jockey, Chantal Sutherland is re-enforcing the fact that she is one of the very best. As of November 19, Sutherland had a total of 142 wins in North America, surpassing her previous best year, when as an apprentice in 2002, she rode 124 winners at Woodbine. Her 2009 totals include 14 victories at tracks in California, a jurisdiction that traditionally has produced extremely low win figures by female jockeys. Her numbers at Woodbine won’t be good enough to catch perennial leader Patrick Husbands, but she will finish second in the standings without having the benefit of a leading outfit using her exclusively. Sutherland has ridden for more owners and trainers than any other jockey in Canadaand has scored at the excellent rate of 14% or about one out of 7. If a style can be attributed to her, it’s that she gets horses to relax and has her mounts running their best at the ends of races. There was another jockey who in the 70s excelled at this. His name is Sandy Hawley, who was a two-time winner of the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s most outstanding jockey.
With 11 Stakes victories to her credit, Sutherland is 22nd in North Americaon the purse earnings list with more than $7 Million. There’s some terrific names ahead of her – Julien Leparoux, Garrett Gomez, Ramon Dominquez – but consider some of the tremendous jockeys who are behind her – Cornelio Velasquez, Jeremy Rose, Alex Solis, Corey Lanerie, Chris Emigh, Michael Luzzi, Rochard Migliore, Jorge Chavez – some of the finest jockeys to ever entice a $2 win bet.
There’s a wonderful list of great Canadian women who have won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award. In the last ten years, the deserving winners were Chantal Peticlerc (wheelchair athlete), Hayley Wickenheiser (team Canadahockey), Cindy Klassen (speed skating, twice), Lori-Ann Muenzer (cycling), Perdita Felicien ( track), Catriona Le May Doan (speed skating, twice) and Lorie Kane (golfing). As worthy as those recipients were, they never competed with men.
Now the second issue: Who else should be considered? Team Canada lost to the United States at the World Hockey Championships in Finland. That would seem to discourage a vote in that direction. Our top lady golfer, Alena Sharp, didn’t have a single top ten finish this year and won $122,000. In tennis, Blaineville, Quebec’s Alexandra Wozniak showed some promise, winning a few early rounds and amassing over $440,000 in winnings. She was ranked as high as 21 in the summer and seems to have great potential. But she won no tournaments this year.
In November, speed skater Christine Nesbitt won three golds in events in Europe. The voters love the skaters and she is a real candidate, but 2010 is an Olympic year and that’s when the celebratory bling should ring. Skier Emily Brydon was no better than 11th in her races, figure skater Jeannie Rochelle came second at the Worlds, swimmer Annamay Pierse had a second in 200m breaststroke at the Worlds, Marie Pier Boudreau Gagnon a third in synchro swimming, and Patricia Lopes-Schliep a second in the 100m hurdles at the Worlds. Oh wait…Sherraine Schalm got a silver medal in individual epee at the World Championships.
There is the argument that a jockey shouldn’t be rewarded because the horse does all the work. That’s about as bright as saying, ‘Catriona Le May Doan couldn’t have won without her skates’ or ‘Lorie Kane was nothing without her driver,’ or ‘Chantal Petitclerc had a wheelchair.’
Chantal Sutherland came out five, six days a week from January through November. She piled up the wins in an extremely difficult and demanding sport; she won more money than any other Canadian female; she beat men on a regular basis; and she attracted tremendous positive attention to her sport.
When the idea of being Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year is presented to Sutherland, you get the feeling it’s never crossed her mind.
“It would be incredible. It would be an honour,” she gasps. “I would love to win something like that.”
Not much of a braggart, Sutherland does realize she has the stats to justify the votes. 2009 will be her best season ever.
“I’ve earned more money than in my bug year,” she says. “I feel like I’m having a phenomenal year.”
Sometime in December, if the privileged voters correctly appraise the sports landscape, it might get a little more phenomenal for Chantal Sutherland.
Why Chantal Sutherland is the Female Athlete of the Year
Next month (December), sports editors across Canadawill cast their ballots for the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award which goes to the woman judged to be Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year. In 2009, it should go to Chantal Sutherland, and though the voters will have a wide field from which to choose, Sutherland should be an almost unanimous winner.
There are two big reasons why. One: Sutherland is completing a sensational year of riding; and Two: otherwise, it has been a surprisingly undistinguished year for all of the other potential candidates.
On the first issue; in her tenth year as a professional jockey, Chantal Sutherland is re-enforcing the fact that she is one of the very best. As of November 19, Sutherland had a total of 142 wins in North America, surpassing her previous best year, when as an apprentice in 2002, she rode 124 winners at Woodbine. Her 2009 totals include 14 victories at tracks in California, a jurisdiction that traditionally has produced extremely low win figures by female jockeys. Her numbers at Woodbine won’t be good enough to catch perennial leader Patrick Husbands, but she will finish second in the standings without having the benefit of a leading outfit using her exclusively. Sutherland has ridden for more owners and trainers than any other jockey in Canadaand has scored at the excellent rate of 14% or about one out of 7. If a style can be attributed to her, it’s that she gets horses to relax and has her mounts running their best at the ends of races. There was another jockey who in the 70s excelled at this. His name is Sandy Hawley, who was a two-time winner of the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s most outstanding jockey.
With 11 Stakes victories to her credit, Sutherland is 22nd in North Americaon the purse earnings list with more than $7 Million. There’s some terrific names ahead of her – Julien Leparoux, Garrett Gomez, Ramon Dominquez – but consider some of the tremendous jockeys who are behind her – Cornelio Velasquez, Jeremy Rose, Alex Solis, Corey Lanerie, Chris Emigh, Michael Luzzi, Rochard Migliore, Jorge Chavez – some of the finest jockeys to ever entice a $2 win bet.
There’s a wonderful list of great Canadian women who have won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award. In the last ten years, the deserving winners were Chantal Peticlerc (wheelchair athlete), Hayley Wickenheiser (team Canadahockey), Cindy Klassen (speed skating, twice), Lori-Ann Muenzer (cycling), Perdita Felicien ( track), Catriona Le May Doan (speed skating, twice) and Lorie Kane (golfing). As worthy as those recipients were, they never competed with men.
Now the second issue: Who else should be considered? Team Canada lost to the United States at the World Hockey Championships in Finland. That would seem to discourage a vote in that direction. Our top lady golfer, Alena Sharp, didn’t have a single top ten finish this year and won $122,000. In tennis, Blaineville, Quebec’s Alexandra Wozniak showed some promise, winning a few early rounds and amassing over $440,000 in winnings. She was ranked as high as 21 in the summer and seems to have great potential. But she won no tournaments this year.
In November, speed skater Christine Nesbitt won three golds in events in Europe. The voters love the skaters and she is a real candidate, but 2010 is an Olympic year and that’s when the celebratory bling should ring. Skier Emily Brydon was no better than 11th in her races, figure skater Jeannie Rochelle came second at the Worlds, swimmer Annamay Pierse had a second in 200m breaststroke at the Worlds, Marie Pier Boudreau Gagnon a third in synchro swimming, and Patricia Lopes-Schliep a second in the 100m hurdles at the Worlds. Oh wait…Sherraine Schalm got a silver medal in individual epee at the World Championships.
There is the argument that a jockey shouldn’t be rewarded because the horse does all the work. That’s about as bright as saying, ‘Catriona Le May Doan couldn’t have won without her skates’ or ‘Lorie Kane was nothing without her driver,’ or ‘Chantal Petitclerc had a wheelchair.’
Chantal Sutherland came out five, six days a week from January through November. She piled up the wins in an extremely difficult and demanding sport; she won more money than any other Canadian female; she beat men on a regular basis; and she attracted tremendous positive attention to her sport.
When the idea of being Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year is presented to Sutherland, you get the feeling it’s never crossed her mind.
“It would be incredible. It would be an honour,” she gasps. “I would love to win something like that.”
Not much of a braggart, Sutherland does realize she has the stats to justify the votes. 2009 will be her best season ever.
“I’ve earned more money than in my bug year,” she says. “I feel like I’m having a phenomenal year.”
Sometime in December, if the privileged voters correctly appraise the sports landscape, it might get a little more phenomenal for Chantal Sutherland.
