Chantal Sutherland returns to riding at Gulfstream

Chantal Sutherland will return to riding regularly at Gulfstream Park on April 1.

A multiple graded stakes-winning jockey who has ridden more than 1,000 winners, Sutherland will set up business at Gulfstream after spending the winter at the Florida track galloping horses for trainer Ken McPeek. Sutherland last rode at Turfway Park on Dec. 9 after riding at Churchill Downs in November.

Sutherland will be represented by agent John Salamone, who also will book Sutherland mounts for Florida Cup Day March 28 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I felt like when I got here (this winter) it was like home,” she said. “When I got here, I loved it, and I’ve had good feedback and vibes from everyone.”

A Sovereign Award winner in her native Canada and a Grade 1 winner on Game On Dude, Sutherland said she’s been training for her return and wants to ride as much as possible.

“The combination of boxing, yoga, and meditation has created a great balance of grit and calm that I will leverage to win,” she said in a statement. “The choice to return has been manifesting and growing in my heart over the last year. I want to ride as much as I can before releasing the hold to a sport that is part of me. Someday I will face the expiration date that all jockeys and professional athletes must face, but not yet.”

Sutherland rode at Gulfstream in 2005. In 2016 she returned to Gulfstream to ride Kiss to Remember in the Added Elegance Stakes.