Charlsie Cantey
Charlsie Cantey (born c. 1946 in Raleigh, North Carolina), one of broadcasting's veteran thoroughbred horse racing analysts, is an American sportscaster who worked for ESPN (1985–2002), ABC Sports (1986–2000), WOR-TV (1975–1977), CBS Sports (1977–1986), USA Network (2002–2005) and NBC Sports (2000–2005).
Career
Early career
Cantey studied for two years at
Cantey appeared on TV on
When Cantey was an exercise rider at Belmont Park in 1975,[3] WOR-TV chose her to co-host that station's weekly racing programs with Frank Wright and Dave Johnson. WOR, which at the time aired the most sports coverage of any station in the country with 1,000 hours per year, broadcast three thoroughbred racing programs -- Racing from Belmont, Racing from Aqueduct and Racing from Saratoga—reaching 300,000 viewers each week. New York Racing Association executive director for TV and film Bill Creasy wanted to add a woman to the program, but more importantly, someone who could explain horse racing to the audience. Cantey was recommended by Frank Tours, who had played a major role in racing shows for KNXT in Los Angeles for 13 years. She owned the gelding Too Many Chiefs, the oldest horse active on New York tracks.[1]
CBS Sports and ESPN
From 1977 to 1986, she served as a
From 1985 to 2002, Cantey was a reporter and analyst for
ABC Sports, USA Network and NBC Sports
Cantey joined ABC Sports in April 1986. In addition to her coverage of the
In November 2000, Cantey joined NBC Sports as its expert analyst during the network's coverage of the 2000 Breeders' Cup. She worked for NBC for 5 years (2000–2005).[citation needed]
From 2002 to 2005, Cantey became a reporter for
Cantey decided to retire from television after the 2005 Breeders' Cup. She was one of several investors from NBC who owned the filly Conflict of Interest.[4]
Family
Charlsie's father wanted to name his son Charles Oscar, but she turned out to be a girl.
Her first husband was
Cantey is married to Douglas Davidson and lives in Okatie, South Carolina.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Leggett, William (June 7, 1976). "She Can Handle This Field". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ISBN 9781581500592. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2004/show/cantey.html Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 2009-05-04.
- ^ Hiestand, Michael (October 28, 2005). "Series Ratings Hit Low, Night Owls Excepted". USA Today. Retrieved May 5, 2009.