First female Kentucky Derby jockey Diane Crump dead at 77

Diane Crump, the archetypal pistillate to vie successful the Kentucky Derby arsenic a jockey, died this week astatine the property of 77. 

Crump was diagnosed successful October with an assertive signifier of encephalon crab and died Thursday nighttime successful hospice attraction successful Winchester, Virginia, her daughter, Della Payne, told The Associated Press.

In 1969, she became the archetypal pistillate to thrust professionally successful a equine contention and, a twelvemonth later, she became the archetypal pistillate jockey successful the Kentucky Derby. It would beryllium 14 much years earlier different pistillate would thrust successful the event. 

Only 4 others person raced successful it since then. 

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Crump won 228 races earlier her past contention successful 1998, a period shy of her 50th day and astir 30 years aft her trailblazing thrust astatine Hialeah Park successful Florida Feb. 7, 1969.

Crump was among respective women to combat successfully astatine the clip to beryllium granted a jockey license, but they inactive needed a trainer consenting to enactment them successful a contention and past for the contention to run. Others were thwarted erstwhile antheral jockeys boycotted oregon threatened to boycott if a pistillate was riding.

The president of Churchill Downs Racetrack, Mike Anderson, said successful a connection Friday that Crump "will beryllium everlastingly respected and fondly remembered successful equine racing lore."

He noted that Crump, who had been riding since property 5 and galloping young thoroughbreds since she was a teenager, "was an iconic trailblazer who admirably fulfilled her puerility dreams."

FAMED HORSE RACING JOCKEY WHO RODE THE LEGENDARY SECRETARIAT TO TRIPLE CROWN DIES AT 84

The 149th moving of the Kentucky Derby astatine Churchill Downs May 6, 2023, successful Louisville, Ky.  (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Chris Goodlett of the Kentucky Derby Museum said, "Diane Crump’s sanction stands for courage, grit and progress. Her determination successful the look of overwhelming likelihood opened doors for generations of pistillate jockeys and inspired countless others acold beyond racing."

After retiring from racing, Crump settled successful Virginia and started a concern helping radical bargain and merchantability horses.

In aboriginal years, she took her therapy dogs, each dachshunds, to sojourn patients successful hospitals and different aesculapian clinics. She visited immoderate with chronic illnesses regularly for years.

Payne said erstwhile her parent went into assisted surviving a period ago, she was already "quasi-famous" successful the aesculapian halfway due to the fact that of however overmuch clip she had spent there, and a "steady stream" of doctors and nurses came to spot her. One of the past radical to sojourn her was the antheral who mowed her lawn.

Her girl said Crump would ne'er instrumentality "no" for an answer, whether it was becoming a jockey oregon helping idiosyncratic successful need.

"I wouldn’t accidental she was arsenic competitory arsenic she was stubborn," Payne said. "If idiosyncratic was counting connected her, she could ne'er fto idiosyncratic down."

Late successful life, Crump had her favourite cardinal characteristics tattooed connected her forearms — "Kindness" connected the left, "Compassion" connected the right.

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Diane Crump keeps up with Mike Sorentino who's connected Born In A Trunk, and Craig Perret connected Shir-Tee, during the seventh contention astatine Hialeah. Diane, 20, became the archetypal pistillate to vie successful a regular lawsuit successful U.S. thoroughbred racing history. She finished tenth successful a tract of twelve. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Crump volition beryllium cremated, and her ashes interred betwixt her parents successful Prospect Hill Cemetery successful Front Royal, Virginia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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