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11/01/2025
https://www.facebook.com/100086649697576/posts/580794568152195/
May 2, 1970 - "A horse doesn't know if the rider on his back wears a dress or pants away from the track," said Diane Crump who became the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. The 21-year old rode a horse named Fathom to come in 15th in a 17-horse field for the 96th running of the Derby. The previous year she was the first female jockey to compete in a pari-mutuel race in the United States, a feat that was so bitterly opposed by male jockeys and racing fans that a full police es**rt had to spirit Crump out of the Hialeah Park Race Course.
Recalling the experience at Hialeah Park, Crump wrote, "The crowd was just swarming all over me. They were crazy, up in arms. . .The hecklers were yelling: 'Go back to the kitchen and cook dinner.' That was the mentality at the time. They thought I was going to be the downfall of the whole sport, which is such a medieval thought. I was like: 'Come on people, this is the 1960s!'"
Regarding her Kentucky Derby race, Crump recalled years later, "I won the opening race on the Derby Day card and I did finish fourth in the 2-year-old filly stakes race. I did have a good day. That kind of crowd, that kind of atmosphere, it was pretty awesome. Winning a race on that day was pretty awesome. I remember a lot of great things. Going to post and warming up, them playing "My Old Kentucky Home," just all the thoughts and feelings that go through your head at that time. At that point, you're thinking, 'Hey, there's always a chance.' That's what life gives us every single day. It was a chance."
When Crump retired from racing in 1985, she had tallied 235 wins.
"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't or that you're not good enough. You are." - Diane Crump
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