(LEX 18) — Diane Crump, the first female jockey to race in the Kentucky Derby, has died from an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was 77.
A Connecticut native, Crump first made history in 1969 as the first female to ride professionally in the United States. In May of the following year, Crump once again made history as the first female to ride in the Kentucky Derby.
Between 1969 and 1984, Crump won 79 races over 23 meets at Churchill Downs. According to a 2017 article from America's Best Racing, she won a total of 228 races in her career.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal in the Derby because he was a longshot," Crump said in the article. "There were some things written about it, but I had been riding for a year and people knew I was capable so there wasn’t a big deal made of it. Yet to me it was a dream you always have if you’re a jockey. Just to go through that experience gave me one of the greatest feelings you could ever imagine. Just the fact that I was there meant so much to me."
After her run in the derby, Crump remained involved in the horse industry.
"After her racing career, she turned her passion and knowledge of horses into her current business, Diane Crump Equine Sales, helping connect buyers and owners in the sporthorse world. Along the way, Diane built lifelong friendships and memories that she still cherishes," Della Payne, Crump's daughter, wrote in a GoFundMe started in October that raised funds towards her mother's medical expenses.
Only four female riders have rode in the Kentucky Derby since Crump's historic run.
“Diane Crump was an iconic trailblazer who admirably fulfilled her childhood dreams," Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson said in a Friday statement. "As the first female to ride professionally at a major Thoroughbred racetrack in 1969 and to become the first female to ride in the Kentucky Derby one year later, she will forever be respected and fondly remembered in horse racing lore. The entire Churchill Downs family extends our condolences to her family and friends.”
