Charleen Hunt

Although I saw Charleen Hunt ride via televised races from Florida when she was first starting out, I didn’t expect to have a chance to see her in person. But that changed in the spring of 2001 when she switched her tack to the northeast for a few months. I met Charleen for the first time on closing day at Garden State Park and saw her ride several races at Monmouth Park, including a bomb of a winner to finish off a Saturday afternoon card in June. When she returned to Florida shortly thereafter, I continued to follow her and even went to Calder Race Course for a weekend in August, 2001 (and watched her win four races in the process). On September 10, 2001 (the day before the world as we know it was changed, perhaps forever), I watched Charleen win four races on the nightly Calder replay show.

This interview is the most in-depth one we have done so far on this page. This was possible because Chris and I had the opportunity to get to know Charleen during her stay up north, so thinking of questions for this interview was easy. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Charleen Hunt in the Calder winner's circle, August, 2001

FOTH: Where were you born and where did you grow up?

CH: I was born in Brookville, FL and Williston was home base. I didn't grow up in any one particular place. I traveled a lot. Williston was home base and we would always end up coming back to Williston.

FOTH: Do you have any brothers or sisters and are any of them into horse racing?

CH: I'm the only one that is into horse racing, but my dad owns some horses down in Mexico, but they are just pets. I was the only child by my biological mother and father. From my mother's second marriage I have 2 brothers and from my father’s second marriage I have 2 sisters and one brother.

FOTH: What type of childhood did you have? Were you close with your family?

CH: The only 2 people I was close to was, well, I grew up with my dad and his grandfather, which was my great grandfather who lived with us on and off. He watched me a lot when my dad was on the road trucking. So I wasn't too close to family.

FOTH: What did you ant to be when you were growing up?

CH: When I was growing up I wanted to be an equine vet. Never thought about being a jockey.

FOTH: When was the first time you went to a race track and what did you think of it?

CH: The first time I went to watch racing I was galloping and this was up in Maryland at Laurel Park. My ex-boyfriend and I went to watch the races because they had a horse that I had been galloping, she was racing that day. Other than having my stomach in knots waiting for her to run, I thought it was pretty boring in the grandstand. (we both break out in major laughter)

FOTH: At what point in your life did you decide you wanted to become a jockey?

CH: I just kinda fell into it. I am a bit of a natural and a lot of people, it was more peer pressure than anything. They would ask me stuff like "How long have you been riding? and "Where do you ride at? and I was never a jockey to begin with, it was just the way I am on a horse. A lot of it had to do with the horses I galloped, they would get bad rides or whatever the attitude I had was "I can ride better than that." So I just kinda ended up riding. (laughs)

FOTH: Did you have a particular trainer take you under his wing or did you just try and meet anybody you could to get your foot in the door so to speak?

CH: Down here at Calder after I recovered from a broken collarbone from Hialeah I took a salary for Jimmy Hatchett and I had a couple other offers, but I worked for Jimmy and I pretty much had my mind made up that I was just gonna ride races. He told me up front I would be one of his main breezers, do most of the gate work with the horses, etc. So I figured I really needed that kind of experience for race riding, so I chose that job offer. So I worked salary work for him for a while and I rode my first race and then I break down to freelance and after a while I didn't gallop at all because I didn't have the time. Since I had been riding races, I had ridden 4 races for that trainer and I had one win, one-second and 2 times the horses didn't do anything. He never rode me much, it was just weird.

FOTH: How long did you actually exercise horses before becoming a jockey?

CH: About 3 years.

FOTH: What did you do before you decided to become a jockey? You were in the army were you not?

CH: Yes I was in the army. I was in the reserves and then I went on active duty and when I got out I decided I didn't want a desk job and to be inside so I did what I liked to do and that was work with horses. Started mucking stalls, moved onto galloping and then got into race riding. (laughs)

FOTH: Do you think your army experience helped you at all like the discipline and the like?

CH: Not at all. Where I got my discipline was growing up with my dad. The military didn't have anything to do with that.

FOTH: You didn't start your racing career till you were in your mid 20's. Do you feel your late start has helped or hindered your career at all?

CH: I don't think it's made a difference at all. (laughs) I just had my 27th birthday the first week in March and I lost my bug on November 26, 2001, and I don't feel a day over 21. I mean age hasn't really clicked with me yet. I don't know how to explain it.

FOTH: How do you stay in shape? I have seen you in a tank top and you’re quite sexy and muscular. Do you think female riders should lift weights and stuff to stay in shape?

CH: The only thing I do is run. (we both laugh) Ever since I was really young, I started lifting weights when I was 11 years old so like all my friends were older than me and I hung out with them and I was built and fit younger than most people would dream of being. So I kinda have a stocky, natural muscular build. If I do any kind of weight lifting it is no weight or very little weight at all cause I grow muscle very fast. What I do is run. Run, run, run. Once, twice, three times a day of need be. That's basically it.

FOTH: Well you certainly look like it to me. (we both laugh) Tell us what you remember about your first race.

CH: It was right her at Calder. It was a little dark filly. It was in the latter part of August and I remember I had a lot of butterflies up until I got a leg up. Once I got up and on her back it was just like going to the gate in the morning. It was no big deal, but before the race I was pretty nervous.

FOTH: What do you remember about your fist win? Did you get creamed with stuff after the race?

CH: My second mount was my first win. That was on a filly called Pat C. for Bobby Troiola. It was like a 5 furlong or 5 1/2 furlong race and I went wire to wire on her. Basically all I got was water in the bucket cause I think she was a longshot and nobody expected it. From day one I was bringing longhsots in. (we both chuckle) So when I came back everyone was scrambling to get buckets of water to throw on me.

FOTH: Did you know that was coming like the first win ritual?

CH: Honestly I don't remember if I knew or not. I think I did, but with the excitement of winning it hadn't sunk in yet and I was coming back and they started throwing water on me and actually it felt pretty good cause it was hot (we both laugh) and I was like "C'mon where is the ice water" cause a lot of them just had regular water in the bucket. The only one who had ice in the bucket was Rosemary. A lot of the time they will put ice in the buckets so we can wash our faces. So she grabbed her bucket that had ice in it and threw it on me and I was like 'Ah that felt good" (laughs)

FOTH: What are some of the tracks you have ridden at and what is your favorite track to ride at and is there a track you would like to ride at one day that you have not yet?

CH: My favorite track to ride was Belmont. I really, really liked the feeling of really wide turns and just cruising along. I can ride front runners, but my preference is to come off the pace, so I just love the feeling of coasting around and hitting the top of the stretch and really taking off. I have ridden at Calder, Gulfstream, Hialeah, Garden State Park, Atlantic City, Monmouth Park, Philadelphia Park, and Belmont. I only galloped at Laurel Park. I would like to ride at Keeneland in Kentucky. I worked a 2 year old there a few years back and it was really pretty.

FOTH: How did you end up getting the mount on the horse named "American Halo" which you won a big stakes race on?

CH: (giggles) I'll tell you what did that. Mr Medina the trainer he had a regular rider that he used quite often and my agent had been going by there everyday with me trying to get me in the barn. (trying to get in his barn to work some of his horses out in the hopes of riding some of the horses in races) and I hadn't ridden in a lot of races cause I was just starting out and stuff and I wasn't riding a whole lot and he had a horse that was a long shot and this jockey told the trainer he was not gonna ride it so Mr Medina said "fine" and he called me in, I think I might have galloped the horse one day I'm not sure, but I rode the horse and he won and the handicap came up and I didn't have a clue when he told me I got a great horse for you to ride. I had never been on the horses back, I don't think I ever saw him in the shed row cause he was always in the stall and I get up in there and I ride the horse and he tells me if I get the lead easy just go with it and if I don't then whatever, so he says no pressure at all, it's the one with a bunch of zero's behind it, no big deal, he says what he always says to me "I ride you on my horses with total confidence." So during the race a horse comes up on my inside and we are going a mile and an eighth in this race and I am like "I don't think so" so go on if you want to go on, so I sit back a little and Rosemary got drug by me a little on the outside and then I ended sitting there and Coa fell out of it and at the top of the lane I rode my heart out and beat everybody to the wire.

FOTH: As you were on your way back to the winner's circle were you like in a state of shock?

CH: Yes. I was estatic. I was extremely happy. Not until later that I did realize what it meant to win that race. I think if Jerry Bailey would have won he would have won the title for most money earned in 2001. It kind of made me feel a little more important. I had just done something that made me a little more noticed. I just disrupted the standings for one of the top jocks in the world. (laughs) It made me feel really good. At first I didn't realize it until I read it the next day in the newspapers. So to me that was pretty important.

FOTH: Yeah and the horse paid $154 to win as well. Other than that race has there been any other highlights for you?

CH: Last year at Gulfstream I rode a horse that means a lot to me, he is a really nice horse, his name is "Grangeville" for Jonathan Sheppard. His wife is the one who suggested I ride the horse, so he went and brought me in and I breezed the horse like 5 different times and he had never run in the US and he had been off for a while as well and he was mainly a grass sprinter over in Europe. He ran his first race at Gulfstream on the dirt for 5 furlongs and I ran second to a really nice horse. I ran the horse back at Gulfstream on the dirt again and I won. I had 2 horses on my inside and I think Jerry Bailey was one of the jocks too (laughs). Then I rode him a third time at Hialeah in a $50,000 stake and that was a sprint on the grass. My instructions were to just got out there and breeze him, so I had to change my strategy a bit cause I like to sit on the front end a lot, Mr. Sheppard wanted me to take him back a bit, try to tuck in behind some horses, then come out and go down the lane. He said "don't hit him, don't try not to win the race, but just breeze him," he wanted him to get a feel for what it was like to go around the sharp turns on the turf. So that is exactly what I did and the horse responded to me, I took him back a little, found a little hole, and down the lane just brought him out and never used the stick at all, didn't cock it or anything and I won the race by a nose. That was a really, really nice horse to ride. He is at Gulfstream this year, but Pat Day is the rider, so, so much for that mount this year and it kinda hurt my feelings, but Pat Day is Pat Day.

FOTH: I saw that race. That was right before you came up to ride at Garden State Park right?

CH: Yes it was.

FOTH: Speaking of the East Coast, right after that race you decided to move your tack up to the East Coast and ride here. Why did you decide to come up here? What did you learn from the experience and why did you decide to leave? We miss you up here.

CH: Basically coming up there was because of peer pressure again. The purses were a lot bigger and a lot of people were saying "The bug does really good up there" and this and that. I had switched agents and I had taken an agent up north Joe DiAngelo, who took my book. He came down in the middle of Gulfstream and he took my book and we stayed through the first few weeks of Hialeah and then we went up north and did the Garden State, Atlantic City and Monmouth circuit. I also did Philadelphia and Belmont. Basically the reason I came back was because I wasn't doing as good as I thought I could be doing. It wasn't a very good jockey/agent combination. I tend to be a little not hot headed, but I speak my mind and I need to have a buffer and the jockey/agent thing was just not working and it wasn't good for business and it is pretty tight up there and if you don't have somebody that can move you, then it is not gonna work. A lot of the smaller outfits that I rode for hated to see me go, you know the people who only have like 2,3,4, horses, they all hated to see me go. They wanted me to stay and ride cause a lot of jocks don't like to ride for smaller outfits, but I tend to do really well for them cause they still have horses that have heart and if they find a rider that gives a 110%, they will make their money. Needless to say, I moved my tack back to Florida and I didn't go back to my original agent cause he already had a bug and a journeyman rider and I got another agent and up until last month we worked well together. We came back in the middle of the Calder meet and finished 5th or 6th in the standings. I got just over 40 wins for the 2nd half of the meet which is really good. Then I did good at the Tropical meet, then I took a vacation and came back to Gulfstream and here I am.

FOTH: I wanted to get your opinion on a couple different tracks. What are your memories of riding the last Garden State Park meet?

CH: Garden State. I liked the paddock. The track was ok. It was kinda hard. I had never been to Garden State, so I don't know what it was like before (it was incredible years ago-Chris), but when I was there it was pretty desolate. I know it was getting ready to be torn down. It was a beautiful place and it is a shame it was gonna be torn down. The people there were really cool, I didn't have any problems with the people or the other riders. I wasn't uncomfortable there, even though I wasn't riding much. I did win there I can say that. (laughs) My first win in NJ.

FOTH: And you had jock's room security management bugging you for pictures and you were not even in the room for 5 minutes yet on your first day riding there.

CH: (total laughter from Charleen) No that was cool actually. It kind of made it feel family like. People were not nasty, nor were they strict and it was very down to earth. I had some really great times with you there, Chris.

FOTH: How about Atlantic City.

CH: Atlantic City was a little busier, but the room was not as nice. The girls jocks room. It wasn't as nice like Garden State when security would joke with us and take pictures. It was pretty much in and out of the jocks room and that was it. It was still a good experience. I still liked it. It was laid back, you went out there, you rode and you went back and hung out with the other jocks.

FOTH: Winning 3 races on huge long shots was nice to see you do on the last day of the meet as well. You already talked about Monmouth, so how was NY when you went up there to ride?

CH: NY was a little more strict and stuff you could say. That I think is just cause of the prestige. It is a little more formal. The room was nice, but nobody else was there except for like 2 days I was there with Diane Nelson. I did know a lot of the guys there from when I galloped over at Belmont so it wasn't like I wasn't at home or anything so I was comfortable. It wasn't as laid back as Garden State or Atlantic City.

FOTH: Was it special for you to get your first win on your first mount up there?

CH: Actually that was at Aqueduct. I also rode there. I was riding at Garden State later that afternoon and I went up to NY to ride one horse and I got there early so I could get my license and they took my money (laughs) and then I rode this horse and of course it was a longshot and I won and took back my money (laughs more) and then headed back to Garden State. That was pretty fun.

FOTH: You not too long ago lost your bug and became a journeyman rider. You seem to be doing pretty good so far. What do you think has been the key thing for making the transition successful?

CH: In all honesty you have to have some ability. As a bug rider they use you a lot to take the weight off the horses. A lot of the horses that bug riders get are pretty much wire to wire runners. They just need the weight taken off so they can fly. I don't know if it is fortunate or unfortunate, but most of my winners were from horses that came off the pace. I guess that is what carried me over and being able to hang in the journeyman's ranks. I proved myself as a bug rider, not to just sit up on the horse and go along for the ride. To move a horse I think a little bit and to try and make things happen and things don't always happen, but I think what carried me over is that I actually proved that I can ride and I'm not up there as a toy. Ability is what really carries a bug rider to journeyman ranks.

FOTH: How would you compare riding down there as opposed to riding up here?

CH: Almost every track is a little different. Like at Belmont the race style is a little different in my opinion. You lay back a little more and you come off the pace. Down here like at Calder a lot of the horses they tend to be more rushy. You know not so much a laid back atmosphere, a more of trying to get the lead. Some places the jockey's ride a little rougher than other places. Like up north, people pretty much stay in the lane there, they pretty much ride a lot cleaner, I'm not saying we ride dirty down here, just things might be a little tighter. It's people's characters, you know everybody is a little different, so every race track is a little different. Either they are more aggressive or they are less aggressive. They ride either a little slower or a little faster. It's different everywhere you go.

FOTH: How much longer would you like to ride for?

CH: Honestly I couldn't tell you. I don't know. I'm not a materialistic person and I think a lot of times what happens is that people fall into the money flow of race riding and I would like to be a school teacher. I'd like to teach children. I don't see myself race riding till I retire. I do not foresee that. I'm not saying that won't happen because you never know what is gonna happen. All I can do is plan here to keep race riding here in Florida until the end of Gulfstream next year and then come that time I'll make plans from there. For this year I'm gonna ride, but there is no telling from year to year what I am gonna a do. I may ride 2 or 3 more years and then decide I have had enough or I've put enough money away and I want to go back and be this school teacher I want to be. I have other aspirations. Race riding today is my life. But tomorrow it is not going to be my life. Too many people can't give up the money they make race riding. But when it is all said and done and when you pay your agent and your valet and takes and everything you have to pay, it's not that much. It is a lot less than what people on the outside think it is. I'll give you an example: Right off the top your agent gets 25% of your check, up north and in NJ they are going to give them 30%, but the purses are a little bit bigger up there than they are down here, we tip our valets and you can count on giving the government like 25% and this is right off the top of your check. So what you are left with is basically like 50% of what your original check was. Still if you like what your doing, then your making money for something you like to do, so it is not really work. SO that is the way it is for me now. I love riding and right now it is a good time to put money away and enjoy myself and later get serious and go back to school and do whatever I want to do. What it boils down to is I can't tell you how long I'm gonna ride for.

FOTH: Do you have any long term goals for yourself or do you take things pretty much day by day now?

CH: I just take things day by day. The only thing I know is I know for a fact is I really want to be a teacher and that's about it.

FOTH: What injuries have you had?

CH: I have not had any injury, knock on wood that has put me out (we both actually knock on wood). I went down in the paddock at Hialeah and when I was galloping I broke my collarbone. I think I broke one of my toes coming out of the gate, but there is nothing I can do about that. I never got it x-rayed or nothing. To this day it still hurts a little bit. (laughs) I rode through it and as long as I can get my foot in the boot I'm alright (laughs). Every now and then you might back your knees coming out of the gate. A lot of your injuries happen at the starting gate. The horse will break from the gate sideways and you will wipe out or something. I have had horses stumble down to their faces, but I've picked them up and gone on. I have had a horse not recover out of the gate, kinda rode away for like 20 feet and I just rolled and jumped off. Thank God I have not had any injuries that have put me out while race riding.

FOTH: Take us through what you do in a typical day as a jockey.

CH: I get up in the morning and have coffee. I have a chocolate flavored protein powder drink I mix in my coffee it makes it taste like capuccino vs. putting milk and sugar in there. I drink that on the way to the track. I'll go around and talk to the trainers. If I have any special appointments to breeze horses I'll breeze them and then I come back home and I have 2 cats and a dog. I let my dog out and I pack my bags for what I am gonna wear after the races since I'm home. I go back to the race track and if I have time I'll go jog and rub down in the steam room with baby oil and winter green. I'll get my muscles all nice and limbered up and do my stretching in there and then I'll ride. After that I come home and relax. It's a routine that continues every day.

FOTH: Any hobbies or things you like to do when you are away from the track?

CH: I don't like to shop...go figure I'm a woman and I don't like to shop. I like going to the beach and playing volleyball. When it is too late to do any of that I have Direct TV so I'll flip on the TV and I'll go find a good movie. I like action movies. I like a good gory sci-fi movie too. I like Mel Gibson, George Clooney, Eddie Murphy, good solid actors, they really go well in my book. (laughs)

FOTH: Any other female riders you like or admire?

CH: Rosemary Homeister Jr. She is always been there for me. Like I've ever needed somebody to vent to in the room or vice versa I'll be her ear. If she is having a bad day or one of us is feeling down the other will try to pick the other up. If one of us wins a race there is somebody in there to congratulate you. She is just really nice and before I even started riding she would let me come over her house cause I didn't have one of those Equicizer's, which is real similar to a horse and it moves like a horse and you work out on it and it helps you get fit and you can practice technique on it and stuff. So I would come over and work on the Equicizer with her before I even started riding. She has been there for me since day 1. She is really great and a really nice person. I really admire her and this is a tough business and she does really well.

FOTH: Have you ever been recognized while out in public?

CH: Yes I have. (laughs) It is funny cause you will be talking or having a conversation and they ask what's your name and I say Charleen and I tell them I ride races and they are like "Your not Charleen Hunt are you?" and I'm like "yeah" and they get all excited and say "I bet on you in this race and I won so much money" (laughs) I get more and more cause I tend to go out in public more cause I'm single now, so I don't just stay home, I tend to go out a little more now. (laughs) A lot of times what else happens is the racing form the first name is abbreviated and the last name is spelled out like C. Hunt and because of my riding style a lot of people who only see me race on TV or simulcasting they don't see me in person so they don't know I'm a girl. So I have had people meet me in public and they say "I never knew you were a girl I thought you were a guy" (laughs) I get a kick out of that as well.

FOTH: Here is the question I have should have asked you when you were up here in NJ and have always wanted to ask and I am sure many people reading this interview want to know the answer to this one as well. Here it is folks. A Female on the Horse Page exclusive question for Charleen. Now when you win a race and sometimes in the post parades even you flash a sign with your fingers that means "Hang Loose." What was the reason for starting this and I think it is the best jockey gimmick I have ever seen. It is just so cool.

CH: Well I found out later on after I had been doing the sign that it is actually a Hawaiian greeting. In Hawaii it is a friendly greeting. It is like "hey how are you doing, I love ya, etc." It is a Hawaiian greeting and my ex boyfriend who schooled me on riding, we were together for 4 years and he would always do that to me ever since I first met him and after being with somebody for so long you kinda just pick things up. Well, my first 10 win pictures you don't see it because I didn't do it. When things got to rolling, we decided I needed to do something because everybody else does something. Rosemary blew her kiss, Willie Martinez does his rock n roll hand movement and what not so everybody was doing something different and I was like I'll just say "Hang Loose" and that's basically how that started.

FOTH: Well I am sure a lot of people will now go "ah that is how she came up with that."

CH: People still ask me what that means. Most people that keep up with racing know what that is now. A lot of people that don't and see it for the first time want to know what it is.

FOTH: Well Charleen I am out of questions. Thanks for the wonderful interview and more importantly we now know the mystery behind the "Hang Loose" sign is. I mean I knew what it meant, but now we know why you do it. Any last words you want to say?

CH: We pretty much covered everything I can think of. I enjoy what I do. I find it easier to work with horses than I do people. I have become more and more adept with dealing with people as I've never been a people person before that is why I get along so well with animals. As you age, mature and you learn to process and I am much better this year than last year when I started. (laughs) And I am sure a lot of trainers are glad for that too. A lot of people say are you gonna win or are you gonna do this or that and I'm just gonna "Hang Loose" and find out. When I get there I get there. (laughs) Really thanks for the interview and Chris thanks for the good times down at the jock's room over at Garden State Park and Jim for the ones over at Monmouth and both of you always "Hang Loose."

Charleen Hunt "backstage" at Garden State Park

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