Pegasus World Cup Preview: Winning spirit with jockey Chantal Sutherland

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — People are counting down the days until horse racing's most prestigious and lucrative races.

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It's the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. The race has grabbed the attention of race fans and celebrities— but there's one jockey at the track that's grabbing a lot of attention.

Veteran horse jockey Chantal Sutherland is giving CBS12 News a tour of the jockey's room at legendary Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.

As one of only two women jockeys here, she has her own locker room.

"Yeah, I kinda took over this spot here," Sutherland said. "My crops are all here, my shirt, my socks, everything is lined up, cause when you're in races you only have seven to eight minutes to change to get in the next race so you have to go pretty fast."

And moving fast is something she knows all about.

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In a sport dominated by men, she's racked up more than 1,200 career wins. And her horses have earned more than $53 million.

"A horse doesn't know if your male or female, but they feel your sense your purpose," Sutherland said.

And that purpose goes way beyond the track.

When she's not riding, Sutherland is a television celebrity. A model who has been featured in Vogue and Vanity Fair and People magazine named her among the 100 most beautiful people. But she says her brand is all about encouraging a younger generation of jockeys, both women and men.

"I love the sport I hope I'm good for the sport. I've always tried to encourage people to come into the sport, but also I want to see it grow and do well," Sutherland said.

She's also entering a new chapter in her career. With decades of experience, she feels like her performance on the track is stronger than it's ever been.

"I can do things that I couldn't do before, and in my mind, I have the experience now," Sutherland said. "I go to bed early I really love waking up early, my life if my racing."

Her next conquest- riding in the international jockeys challenge in Saudi Arabia, representing the U.S. and Canada against seven other female riders.