Since the 40s when females were first allowed to race as jockeys amongst the men despite mass outrage from the fans, to the current day when we are seeing more and more female trainers and jockeys alike make their mark on the sport, the horse racing industry has managed to produce some true female legends.
Michelle Payne
Like many women who enter the tough sport of horse racing, Michelle Payne is a legacy. Out of 10 siblings, she is the eighth child to become a jockey and she has certainly made some waves since her first competitive ride when she was only 15 years of age. Payne has had a long career as a jockey but her legendary status didn’t kick in until 2015 when she became the first-ever woman to ride in the Melbourne Cup and won the race with odds of 100-1 against her.
Diane Crump
Diane Crump lead the way for female jockeys with her triumphs beginning way back in 1948. Crump was notably the first woman to ever compete in the Kentucky Derby in 1970, despite overwhelming animosity towards her from racing enthusiasts, simply because she was a female jockey. After winning over 200 races in her career Crump, like many retired jockeys, went on to become a successful trainer of racehorses in the US.
Nikita Beriman
As one of today’s leading horse racing legends in Australia, Nikita Beriman experienced a long and successful career in her home state of Victoria and around Australia which culminated in a total of 695 career victories by the time she retired from racing in 2019. Nikita has teamed up with fellow retired female jockey, Michelle Payne to train horses in Queensland to compete in Sunshine Coast racing before taking on the rest of the world.
Donna Barton Brothers
Coming from a family of jockeys which included her mother and both of her siblings, Donna Barton Brothers rode her first race in 1987 and during her career, Barton Brothers was known as the leading female rider in the US. Some of her major wins in the world of US horse racing included the Edgewood Stakes, Louisville Handicap, Churchill Downs Debutante Stakes, and the Thoroughbred Cup of America Stakes.
Gai Waterhouse
Though she was never a jockey, the “first lady of horse racing” in Australia is one of the world’s most successful horse racing trainers. Gai Has produced an incredible amount of Group 1 winners in her time as a trainer, which even lead to her being inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2018. Waterhouse has led a groundbreaking career in the field of thoroughbred racing and is only the 5th horse trainer in the sport’s 168-year history to be inducted.
Clare Balding
As one of the first names when it comes to the sport of horse racing in the UK, Clare Balding has an array of awards and an esteemed career that goes with her name. With her early career as a successful female jockey behind her, Balding retired from riding to become a champion for women’s sports around the world. Having since reported from countless Olympics and Paralympics, her career as a leading journalist for women’s sport has been awarded a BAFTA, she has twice been named as the RTS Sports Presenter of the Year, she has taken the prize for Racing Journalist of the Year and was awarded special recognition at the Women in Film and Television awards.
Julie Krone
Growing up showing horses wasn’t quite enough for Julie Krone. After watching an idol of hers in the 1978 Triple Crown, Krone decided to become a jockey herself. As the first female to win the Belmont Stakes in 1993, Julie made her way as one of the most successful female jockeys in US history. More than just a jockey, Krone retired in 1999 to become a horse racing broadcaster before rescinding her retirement in 2003 to become again, the first female to win the Breeders Cup race.
Khadijah Mellah
Khadijah Mellah takes her place on this list as the first-ever hijab-wearing jockey in competitive horse racing. Though she was new to the sport, Mellah managed a win in the Magnolia Cup, an all-women’s charity race at Goodwood Racecourse, atop Haverland in 2019. Mellah was the subject of a documentary called Riding the Dream with a film crew following her from her pursuit of training to her eventual win as the youngest and most inexperienced jockey in the race.
Victoria Pendleton
Beginning her sporting career as a track cyclist who competed at professional levels to become an Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth champion, it seems that there isn’t much that this woman cannot do. Pendleton made her switch from cycling to jockeying in an astoundingly short period and came out in second place at her competitive horse racing debut at Ripon in 2015. This was followed by a win at Wincanton and placing at the Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham in 2016 showing that determination and commitment are key in the art of horse racing.
Katie Page-Harvey
Though she is not a horsewoman by profession, Katie Page-Harvey is a strong backer of women in sport. Page-Harvey co-owns the Magic Million thoroughbred racehorse auction house together with four breeding studs and over 1,00 racehorses. In 2013 Page-Harvey started the Racing Women’s Incentive Bonus where a $500,000 prize was offered to the first 4 female-owned racehorses over the line at the Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic to encourage more women to take up racehorse ownership.
The world’s most successful horsewomen know no boundaries and these are but a few that have reached legendary status in the esteemed sport of horse racing. There are many incredible women from the UK and Ireland who, though they have not made this list, are legends in their own right. Some of these women include Hayley Turner from England, Nina Cranberry, and Rachael Blackmore from Ireland, just to name a few. As the sport of horse racing continues to grow and evolve around the world, we are continuing to see great things from both female jockeys and trainers.
