In a small annex to the jockeys' room at Santa Anita Park near Los
Angeles last week, Chantal Sutherland sat in front of her stall on a
stool that once belonged to Julie Krone.
Around her were not-so-subtle signs that the four jockeys in the room
were different from the ones next door. Makeup bags surrounded the
sink, and above the stalls were the neatly stacked towels Sutherland
chooses because she knows they won't end up in the men's stalls: They're
pink.
On Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Sutherland will
attempt to become the first woman to win the $5 million Breeders' Cup
Classic. Not even Krone -- the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown
race, the Belmont Stakes in 1993 -- could accomplish that feat,
although she did win the 2003 Juvenile Fillies on Halfbridled.
"The longer I've been a rider, the more experience I have, I realize how amazing she was to do what she did," Sutherland said.
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