Pioneering horse racing television commentator Charlsie Cantey will be honored with the Jane Goldstein Exemplary Leadership Award at the second annual Horse Racing Women's Summit, Sept. 27-29, at Santa Anita Park.
A native of North Carolina, Cantey started her career with race horses in New York after graduating from George Washington University in 1968. She worked with trainers Elliot Burch, Frank Whiteley, Jr., David Whiteley, and Sidney Watters, as well as Joe Cantey after their 1969 marriage.
She was persuaded by Frank Wright and Dave Johnson, co-hosts of the WOR-TV (New York) weekly racing show, to join them in 1975. Two years later, she made her network debut on CBS for the Travers S., alongside Wright and Jack Whitaker. During nine years with CBS, she originated interviews from horseback.
When ABC was contracted for Triple Crown coverage in 1986, Cantey was part of the talent team that included Jim McKay, Al Michaels, Whitaker, and Johnson. In 2001, the contract went to NBC, where she worked with Tom Hammond and others for the Triple Crown, as well as the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
“I am honored, and beyond humbled, to receive the Jane Goldstein Leadership Award,” Cantey said. “To be recognized by Jane and the Horse Racing Women's Summit is a stunning surprise, and I am so grateful to be remembered by this important collective force committed to advancing all facets of our mutual lifelong passion, Thoroughbred racing.
The award is named for ground-breaking turf publicist Jane Goldstein, who was recognized for the inaugural presentation last year.
Tickets to HRWS 2023 are still available and can be purchased online. Visit www.womeninracingsummit.com for more information.
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