Legends

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Women have played key roles in horse racing since the venerable sport’s earliest days.

Yet few women – or men for that matter – at any level of the sport created a legacy that can rival the respect and importance of Marylou Whitney.

Whitney, who died July 19, 2019, at age 93, did so much more than simply race in the famed Eton blue and brown silks. She became the first woman in 80 years to breed and own a Kentucky Oaks winner. She won the Belmont Stakes and Travers in the same year.

Brilliant Women in U.S. Horse Racing History

Throughout horse racing history, women have been instrumental in contributing to the progression and advancement of the sport. Although horse racing remains a largely male-dominated world, women continue to break down barriers as jockeys, trainers, owners, breeders, and farm managers.

This International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate a few of the women that have made a lasting impact and paved the way for women in the sport today.

D. Wayne Lukas, Keeneland September yearling sale, Lifetime Achievement Award, Kentucky Derby Museum, BloodHorse Library

Hall of Fame Trainer Lukas Reflects on Honor of Kentucky Derby Museum Award

Four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas, announced Feb. 23 as the first-ever winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kentucky Derby Museum, spoke with BloodHorse news editor Byron King about the honor and his support of the museum, where his memorabilia has been on display since 2017.

Built to Last: Why Secretariat’s Legacy and Appeal Strengthen With Time

Last year marked 50 years since Secretariat powered through the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, in performances reminiscent of another Big Red,

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., Kentucky Derby, 1875, Arsitides, H.P. McGrath, Oliver Lewis, Keeneland Library General Collection

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.: Father of the Kentucky Derby

“Until you go to the Kentucky Derby with your own eyes, behold the Derby, you ain’t never been nowhere and you ain’t never seen nothing.”—Irving S. Cobb

It was a Monday, the start of a new week, but this would go down as anything but a typical Monday. The day began with clear skies, the sun soon joining the multitudes flocking to Louisville’s newest racetrack, their journey presaging a day a century and a half hence. May 17, 1875, was something altogether bigger than a Monday: it was Derby day.

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