14 Six fillies have won the Derby. Very few fillies now run in the Derby and the last to be placed was Nobiliary, second to Grundy in 1975. Cape Verdi, the last filly to run in the Derby, attempted to follow up her 1,000 Guineas success in the 1998 Derby and started 11/4 favourite, but could only finish ninth.

1980

Genuine Risk

Ryan Moore (2010 & 2013), Joseph O’Brien (2012 & 2014) and Frankie Dettori (2007 & 2015) are the only other current jockeys with more than one victory.

Winning Colors (1988), Genuine Risk (1980) and Regret (1915) are the only fillies to win the Kentucky Derby.

As of 2015, no woman trainer or jockey has won the Kentucky Derby. Six women have ridden in the famed “Run for the Roses”: Diane Crump, Patti Cooksey, Andrea Seefeldt, Julie Krone, Rosemary Homeister and Rosie Napravnik.

The jockey who rides their horse to victory gets a 10% cut of the prize money. But they won’t take home the full $186,000 themselves. There’s a 25% fee to his agent, as well as a traditional 5% tip to the valet who helps him prepare all of his gear for the race.

There’s a host of reasons why those numbers are so low, jockeys say. In interviews with NBC, five female jockeys described what they say is a long and persistent history of gender discrimination in the sport. Some say their careers have been deterred by sexual harassment and bullying.

How Much do Kentucky Derby Jockeys Make?

In 2020, the highest-earning U.S. jockey was Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode more than 1,260 mounts, with about 300 wins, for earnings of just over $21 million. In 2020, the average earning of the top 100 jockeys in the United States was around $3.5 million, per BloodHorse.

Julie Krone 149 cm ( 4 ft 10.5 in) Krone is America’s shortest jockey ever.

In the current study period, 1 jockey fatality occurred in a QH race, resulting in a mortality rate of 441 per 100 million rides (0.0004%) or 1.99 per 1000 falls (0.20%). In the US during the period 1940 to 2012, occupational jockey deaths occurred at the rate of 1.77 (95% CI, 1.54-2.00) per year (Figure 2).

Jockeys who can’t control their weight by diet are always in the sweatbox. Water control is their last resort. When they need to pull weight (lose pounds quickly) they come in before the race and jump in the sauna or steam room.” Florida jockey Michael Lee, 26, tries to keep his weight down to 110 or 111.

Only 11 fillies have won a Triple Crown race, none since Rachel Alexandra at the Preakness in 2009, and even seeing a female horse entered in one of the sport’s three marquee events has become a rarity.

The Jockeys’ Guild receives 2,500 injury notifications in a year. The average jockey gets sidelined by injuries about three times a year. A jockey’s life off the horse is grueling and, at times, dangerous. The spectre haunting almost every rider is extra weight.