Women’s fight for their “Right to Ride” in the Kentucky Derby

In more than 150 years, only six women have ever competed as jockeys in the Kentucky Derby. It’s a stat that surprises many, especially when they learn the race went on for nearly 100 years before the lineup of jockeys included a woman.

The history of women’s fight to participate in the sport is highlighted in the Kentucky Derby Museum’s “Right to Ride” exhibit. With artifacts from jockey silks to riding boots, the second-floor display walks visitors through stories of grace and grit from female jockeys who simply loved horseracing and weren’t willing to take “no” for an answer.

The first woman to become a Kentucky Derby jockey was Diane Crump. While she didn’t take home the garland of roses that day in 1970, her mark was made on history. It’s her name that’s remembered as the “first” and carries a legacy that paved the way for others to follow. Crump passed away in January of 2026. Before her passing, she and other women were interviewed for the exhibit, where she detailed her love for horseracing and the magic of competing in the Kentucky Derby.  

“It’s the greatest feeling I think you could every feel,” Crump said in the museum’s oral history interview. “It gives you a feeling that you are somewhere so special and that you’re in something of such a great magnitude and that the whole world is watching, and that you can feel it in your heart. It’s just – it’s the greatest feeling that I’ve ever felt. It’s truly amazing.”

According to the Kentucky Derby Museum’s Senior Curator of Collections Jessica Whitehead, Crump was not only the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby, but the first woman to ride – period – in a professional horse race as a licensed jockey the in the United States. Crump accomplished that in 1969, the year before her Derby run.

It was no easy task for women like Crump to break into the male-dominated sport of horseracing. Whitehead recounts history including stories of female jockeys having things thrown at them from the stands, slurs shouted at them, and being referred to as “jockettes” instead of “jockeys.” But women proved they deserved the opportunity to ride. Their determination and dedication are showcased through the Right to Ride exhibit.

“For us, this project is about highlighting those stories, highlighting the incredible journeys these women had to make just to do the job that they knew they were skilled at, knew they wanted to do, and knew they would just rock everybody’s world once they had the opportunity to do it,” said Whitehead.

Aside from honoring female jockeys of the Derby including Diane Crump, PJ Cooksey, Andrea Seefeldt, Julie Krone, Rosemary Homeister, and Rosie Napravnik, the exhibit also honors women in other aspects of the sport. Female owners, breeders, and trainers were able to break into the industry much sooner. For example, the first woman to breed a Derby-winning horse was Josephine Clay, back in the 1890s.

While a woman has not yet won the Kentucky Derby as a jockey, significant progress has been made since Crump’s breakthrough ride in 1970. Fellow Derby jockey, Julie Krone, won the Belmont Stakes in 1993. Rosie Napravnik won the Kentucky Oaks not once, but twice – in 2012 and again in 2014. Today, other female jockeys continue following their passions within the sport. One day, history may tell the story of a woman in the Winner’s Circle, who got there from her skill as a jockey. But even then, these moments from years ago will continue to shine as trailblazing milestones, remembering the women who fought for the right to ride years before.

Photo of Diane Crump ©Churchill Downs Racetrack