Diane Crump, first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby, dies at 77

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Diane Crump, who successful 1969 became the archetypal pistillate to thrust professionally successful a equine contention and a twelvemonth aboriginal became the archetypal pistillate jockey successful the Kentucky Derby, has died. She was 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.

Crump went connected to win 228 races before riding 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 connected 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.

Photographs of Crump's locomotion to the saddling country astatine Hialeah amusement her protected by information guards arsenic a assemblage pressed successful connected each sides. Six of the archetypal 12 jockeys successful the contention had refused to ride, Mark Shrager wrote successful his biography, "Diane Crump: A Horse Racing Pioneer's Life successful the Saddle." Among them were aboriginal legends Angel Cordero Jr., Jorge Velasquez and Ron Turcotte, who 4 years aboriginal would thrust Secretariat to triumph the Triple Crown.

But different jockeys stepped up, and arsenic the 12 horses made their mode onto the track, the bugler skipped the accepted telephone to the station and alternatively played "Smile for Me, My Diane." Crump, connected a 50-1 longshot called Bridle 'n Bit, finished 10th, but the obstruction had been broken. A period later, Bridle 'n Bit gave Crump her archetypal triumph astatine Gulfstream Park.

She again made past successful 1970 by becoming the archetypal pistillate to thrust successful the Kentucky Derby. She won the archetypal contention that time astatine Churchill Downs, but again her equine for the history-making contention was outclassed. She finished 15th retired of 17 connected Fathom.

It would beryllium 14 much years earlier different pistillate jockey would thrust successful the Derby, with lone 4 much to travel successful the decades since.

The racetrack president astatine Churchill Downs, Mike Anderson, said successful a connection connected 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."

Chris Goodlett, of the Kentucky Derby Museum, said "Diane Crump's sanction stands for courage, grit, and progress." He added: "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. Some with chronic illnesses she visited 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's mottos were virtually tattooed connected her forearms: "Kindness" connected the left, "Compassion" connected the right.

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