Kathy Kusner

When Diane Crump died last week at the age of 77, the tributes and obituaries penned in her honor naturally led with the pioneering accomplishment that, more than five decades ago, she was the first woman to ride against men in a North American pari-mutuel horse race. Today, nearly 57 years from that landmark achievement, it can be difficult to grasp just how challenging and arduous a breakthrough that was. It wasn't, for example, just a matter of some trainer deciding, "This young lady can horseback a little bit. I...

On February 7, 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman to ride in a parimutuel race, at Hialeah Park. Her participation in the race was so controversial at the time that she required a police escort to get her through the crowd of hostile spectators to the paddock. She was ninth of 12 in the race, and returned to cheers. It took Crump two weeks to ride her first winner, and the following year, she went on to become the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Crump is...