2011 Breeders' Cup: Chantal Sutherland Steals Show at Classic

Chantal Sutherland didn’t win the race, but she certainly drew a lot of attention to herself on Saturday.

The 35-year-old model, reality-TV star and jockey came in second place aboard Game On Dude in the Breeder’s Cup Classic.  

It seemed like she won the race with the amount of fanfare she received and number of autographs she signed after placing a length and a half behind Drosselmeyer and his jockey, Mike Smith.

An interesting side story shined at the Breeder's Cup because Smith and Sutherland were once engaged to be married in the past, but broke it off. They were both riding horses that no one thought had a chance to win, but the former power racing couple dominated at Churchill Downs.

Sutherland has only helped improve her exposure with that near-victory and she will be a name we continue to see in the major races for years to come.

"

“This has been an amazing week for me,” said Sutherland, who made her Churchill Downs debut and was trying to become the first female jockey to win the Classic. “I’ve really enjoyed the journey the whole way. This is what you dream of. I hope I come again and again and again.”

"

It would have been quite an accomplishment for Sutherland to become the first female to win at the classic, but second-place isn’t bad and I predict she will eventually capture one.

Game On Dude closed at 14-1 to win and she absolutely dominated with a horse no one really had a shot. Imagine if she was able to get an even better horse? She would have easily won.

With Sutherland appearing in the new HBO series ‘Luck’ and appearing on advertisements for the major races, I don’ t see her popularity dying down anytime soon.

Expect her to keep racing and becoming a fan favorite even if she doesn’t win them all.