Diane Crump Rides Into History (feat. Diane Crump & Barbara Jo Rubin)

Sports History This Week

February 7, 1969. Diane Crump arrives at Hialeah Racetrack in Miami, Florida, and all eyes are on her. She’s a jockey, someone who races horses, but now she’s hoping to become the first woman in American history to ride in an officially sanctioned, professional pari-mutuel horse race. For decades, women have been barred from the sport. And over the last year, as public pressure for horse racing to become more inclusive has intensified, women hoping to break into the sport have endured insults, threats, and boycotts from their male counterparts.

Today, Diane Crump attempts to make sports history, despite the long odds against her. Why was the horse racing establishment so committed to keeping women out of their sport? And how did a group of dedicated young women help each other to break down the barrier?

Special thanks to our guests: Diane Crump and Barbara Jo Rubin, two of the very first female professional jockeys in the United States.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.