The crews working on the starting gate at a racetrack will tell you their job is often a study of opposites: it requires strength and the wisdom to know when a gentle hand will work better; it requires you to be agile and move quickly, but also to know when to stand your ground; it requires fearlessness and an instinct for when to get out of the way.
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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