Working on the gate also takes a good dose of horse sense, the ability to get along with all kinds of people (and their egos), and above all, a keen sense of timing. 

In the primarily male-dominated racing industry, working on the gate crew is often considered a man's job. Cassie Dempsey is breaking that mold. She aims not just to continue to work on the gate, but to one day lead a gate crew of her own. 

“It's kind of an adrenaline rush,” said Dempsey, 30. “I was always comfortable in the gate as an exercise rider, and something always drew me to it. I love the horses, the jockeys, and the whole crew. It's just a fun, cool job.”

Dempsey has spent the past several months working under the tutelage of head starter Nick Corbisello at Thistledown Racino in North Randall, Ohio. 

“Cassie worked for me a year or two ago at Presque Isle, and she's as good an assistant starter as any man I know, which to me is big,” said Corbisello, 62. “When I got to Thistle this year, I needed an assistant and I knew who the best was. She's even better than I thought she was.

“She schools [the horses] in the morning, and she knows them better than I do. She puts everything on the computer, talks to the trainers for me. She knows them all. The girl is as good as they come.”

Dempsey grew up around horses, and began galloping racehorses at a training center when she was just 14 years old. She began galloping at Mountaineer as soon as she turned 16, and worked at a handful of different racetracks in various positions over the ensuing years. Dempsey stepped away from galloping when her back started to bother her, but waiting tables and working retail just wasn't the same. 

Returning to the track in 2014, Dempsey got a job on the starting gate at Mahoning Valley.

“I knew very quickly that this is something I wanted to pursue,” she said.

Earlier this year she got the call from Corbisello to come work for him at Thistle, and neither has looked back since.

“She told me, 'I want to be a starter,'” recalled Corbisello. “Now, I never knew any woman to start a horse race, but I said, 'I'll do everything I can to help you.'”

So far, Dempsey has been pushing the button to open the gates for one race per afternoon at Thistle, learning to read the entire lineup of horses, jockeys, and the crew at the same time, to anticipate all their moves.

“She has all of them's respect, the crew, the trainers, everybody,” said Corbisello. “The administration was all on board when I threw the idea at them. She's as good as they come in every aspect. One big word is she cares. She really cares about everything, in particular the horses.”

Based on incomplete records, it appears there has never been a female head starter in North America. Dempsey plans to be the first.

“I'm loving every second of it,” she said.

Corbisello plans to support her every step of the way.

“I've only got, at best, a couple years left in my illustrious career,” he said genially. “I'm going to do all I can to have her step into my position here, but if not, I know lots of starters and I'm going to do everything I can to get her a starter position.

“She's the daughter I never had — fearless, just good in every aspect.”

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Born Aug. 6, 1949 in Leonia, New Jersey, Tsitsiragos graduated from Leonia High School in 1967 where he was a beloved football legend nicknamed by his classmates as “Zorba the Greek.” He then attended Texas A&M University as a walk-on for the football team and quickly earned a full scholarship under Head Coach Gene Stallings. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1972, he began his career as an assistant starter for NYRA, loading horses in the starting gate. He said he loved the “spirit” of the horse and built a stellar reputation within NYRA. He can be seen at the 3:05 mark of this video of the 1981 Whitney H. improbably keeping hold of eventual winner Fio Rito after he broke through the gate.

Tsitsiragos is survived by sisters Christine Tsitsiragos and Paula Tsitsiragos, his adored nieces Stella Tsitsiragos and Nota Tsitsiragos, first cousins Louise Ermides and Maria Tsitsiragos and extended family in Greece. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to support the care and well being of retired racehorses. Gifts may be made in Jimmy's name by mail at P.O. Box 834, Saratoga Springs, NY, or by phone at (518) 226-0028.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

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Assistant starters work on the starting gate, loading horses and holding their heads straight prior to the start of a race.

A search was conducted by the Lea County Drug Enforcement Agency, and Aldavaz was also cited for “disruptive behavior interfering with the orderly conduct of this race meet prior to the start of the races at Zia Park on Dec. 22, 2020.”

Stewards will hold a hearing with Aldavaz via teleconference on Dec. 30, per 15.2.1.9(B)(3)(a) Summary Suspension, which states in pertinent part, “If the Stewards determine that a licensee's action constitute an immediate danger to the public health, safety, or welfare, the Stewards may summarily suspend the licensee pending a hearing.”

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Ramon Alvarez has not appealed the ban, which went into effect Nov. 2 and runs through May 1, 2021, according to Izzy Trejo, the executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission.

The abuse took place Oct. 20 during a mixed-meet card of Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses at Zia. Alvarez was in the outermost stall attempting to control Javys Brown Sugar prior to Race 4, a 400-yard Quarter Horse trial for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds.

Javys Brown Sugar dropped her head several times and Alvarez’s reaction was to correct her with four open-handed slaps to the head, Trejo explained in an email to TDN.

Trejo acknowledged that the incident is difficult to see on the pan and head-on replays, but he added that the stewards utilized a cross-view gate angle from the outside post pointing toward the inside to get a definitive look at Alvarez delivering the blows.

After being hit, Javys Brown Sugar was allowed to start and ran third at 39-1 odds.

“The bottom line is, this type of behavior against our horses will not be tolerated,” Trejo wrote. “It’s people like this in our industry that just pound that nail deeper into the coffin as others work diligently in trying to keep the industry afloat.”

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