all in Legends

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines courage as “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” We see human examples of this each time jockeys guide thousand-pound Thoroughbred dynamos from the explosion of the starting gate to the rush for the finish line.

New York’s road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve concludes this Saturday. Aqueduct will host the $750,000, Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino at 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt.

Throughout the years, most top contenders in prep races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve have been colts or geldings. Although fillies are eligible for all Derby preps and can earn points toward securing a spot in the starting gate for the first jewel of the Triple Crown, not many of them take on males along the Derby trail or in the classic.

There are a few female jockeys who will always be associated with their historic “firsts.” Diane Crump was the first female jockey to ride in a sanctioned race and the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Julie Krone became the first female rider to win a Triple Crown race when she guided Colonial Affair to victory in the 1993 Belmont Stakes. Jockey

It’s hard to believe it was more than 10 years ago. So much has happened in the real world since American Pharoah swept the 2015 Triple Crown and capped his 3-year-old season with a historic “Grand Slam” win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.

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