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Diane Crump, Barrier-Breaking Jockey and First Woman in the Kentucky Derby, Dies at 77

Tributes from Churchill Downs honor her legacy as a trailblazer for women in horse racing.

Overview

  • Her daughter, Della Payne, confirmed in a GoFundMe post that Crump died Jan. 1 in hospice care in Winchester, Virginia.
  • She was diagnosed in October with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.
  • In 1969 she became the first woman to ride professionally in the United States at Hialeah Park, facing hostile crowds and a partial jockey boycott.
  • She rode in the 1970 Kentucky Derby on Fathom and finished 15th, and another woman would not ride in the race for 14 years.
  • Across 1,682 starts she won 228 races and earned more than $1.2 million, later launching an equine sales business and volunteering with therapy dogs.