You might not see any on the track this year, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. That’s right, here’s the lowdown on not the horses but the unicorns of the Kentucky Derby: Women Jockeys! In the 151 years the Kentucky Derby has been the national extravaganza that it is, only six women jockeys have competed in the race. What’s truly shocking about this statistic is that equestrian sports are one of the few domains in the sporting world where men and women can compete equally, with women jockeys ruling the roost in several equestrian Olympic events, so what’s the catch at Churchill Downs? Why have there only been six women all these years?

Kathy Kusner paved the way for women to even begin riding in the Kentucky Derby. Despite being an Olympic medalist and on the United States Equestrian team, Kusner was denied an equestrian license in Maryland on account of her gender. This disallowed her from riding as a jockey in derbies like the Kentucky Derby. One successful 1967 lawsuit later, however, and the Maryland Racing Commission was forced to rewrite the rules, leading to Diane Crump becoming the first woman jockey to race in the Kentucky Derby in 1970.

Then over a decade later came Patti Cooksey in 1984. Not only was she the second female jockey Churchill Downs had seen, but she was also the first female jockey to ride at the Preakness Stakes. When she first made her way to Churchill Downs, she asked the security guard, “Can you show me where the women’s jocks room is?” And when the guard confirmed that there was no women’s dressing room, she responded, “Well, show me the men’s room. I’ll change there. I don’t care.” She ultimately changed in a trailer used to store changing equipment, but this exchange demonstrated Cooksey’s strong will and determination to make her mark in a largely male-dominated sport, along with the challenges faced by female jockeys.

After Cooksey came Andrea Seefeldt in 1991, Julie Krone in 1992, and Krone again in 1995. Seefeldt, like Cooksey, didn’t have an easy path to becoming a jockey. Even learning how to race as a woman in the 1980s was difficult, as many trainers were hesitant to train and teach her. “This was 1981, and people weren’t very receptive to the idea of female jockeys,” she said.

Rosemary Homeister Jr. in 2003 became the first female jockey to race in the Derby in the 21st century. Horseracing was in Homeister Jr.’s blood as her mother and father were both jockeys. In 2000 and 2001 she led all female jockeys in wins in the U.S. before making her Kentucky Derby debut in 2003, where she finished 13th in the race.

Still, the fact that in all these years there have only been a staggering 6 women to race in the Derby, a total of 9 times, is shocking. Which then brings us to Rosie Napravnik. What is it that stops women from racing, and with standout competitors like Napravnik, how is this still the case?

Rosie Napravnik and her legacy as a woman jockey to have raced three times in the Kentucky Derby

Rosie Napravnik, who grew up riding ponies and steeplechase horses in Maryland, had something different in her blood that allowed her to ride with precision and synchronicity with the horse. She was the first woman to win the Kentucky Oaks in both 2012 and 2012, as well as the first woman to win two Breeders’ Cup races. She not only competed in the Kentucky Derby thrice, in 2011, 2013, and 2014, but also Preakness and Belmont Stakes, the other two Triple Crown races.

When asked about her legacy, Navpravnik said she never really thought of herself as a ‘female’ jockey until her retirement at the age of 26, only demonstrating how the discrimination to date is more or less baseless. Ferrin Peterson, a young jockey and veterinarian who is trying to get a spot at Churchill Downs, seems to think the issue lies with the setup.

“There’s a lot of trainers and owners who won’t ride a woman rider, not because they’re being sexist, they feel like women aren’t as strong as a male rider,” Peterson’s former agent Steve Krajcir said. It’s sort of a catch-22 situation at this point; men are afforded more opportunity and more races and more experience, and trainers and owners are not trying to take chances when it comes to the Derby.

However, equality is a long process built of small steps, and with more and more people partaking in the conversation, things do seem to be changing. Just this January, Hye Sun Kim became the first Korean female jockey to ride at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, and in 2023 the winner of the 155th edition of the Belmont Stakes had to give due credit to trainer Jena Antonucci.

The question isn’t about whether a woman can do it as well or even better than the men; it’s just when will they be given the chance.