Girl Jockey Wins Race-And Civil Rights Victory

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31982, 8 May 1969, Page 4

Girl Jockey Wins RaceAnd Civil Rights Victory

'By JOSEF GROSSMAN) Barbara Jo Rubin, a 19-year-old Miami, Florida. girl, extended women’s civil rights into a new area recently when she became the first female jockey ever to ride a winning horse at a parimutuel race track in the United States. In the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the United States Congress banned job discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as on the bases of race, religion and national origin. Riding under a temporary licence, Miss Rubin rode a horse named Cohesian to a narrow victory before a crowd of 9360 in Charlestown, West Virginia. Some upholders of male superiority in the stands booed as Miss Rubin appeared on the track for the ninth race, escorted by two West Virginia State policemen. However, after she had guided the favourite, Cohesian, to a victory over a horse named Reely Beeg in the 61-furlong race, the cries of the crowd turned to a unanimous cheer, “Way to go, Barbara Jo!” It was a far cry from the male jockeys’ boycott which forced her to cancel a mount at Tropical Park, Florida, a few weeks earlier.

A state racing steward, Stanley Greene, said of her ride, “We’d give her an ‘A’ on her first performance. She did everything right” The real distance to the finish line for Miss Rubin cannot be measured in furlongs. One of three United States girls who aspired to permanent careers as jockeys, she had encountered the steadfast disapproval of male jockeys, as did the United States Olympic equestrienne, Kathy Kusner, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Diane -Crump, of Woodmont Connecticut

Miss Kusner “auditioned” for the Maryland State Racing Commission late last year, but was refused a jockey’s licence. Later, a licence was granted, but in her first attempt to ride in a race, the male jockeys refused to ride unless she withdrew, which she did. The 1968 Olympian has not yet ridden on a United States track.

Miss Crump became the first girl both to obtain a licence and to ride against men jockeys. At the Hialeah race course in Miami, Florida, on February 7, she guided a horse called Bridle ’n Bit to a tenth-place finish in a field of 12 horses. She has ridden twice since then, and her best finish to date has been a fourth. . MALES OBJECT

Six male jockeys also cancelled their mounts in Miss Crump’s first race because of her sex. But the 20-year-old rider, her face mud-caked at the finish, said after her tradi-tion-breaking effort that, “It felt good out there. I think I’ll be all right from here

Miss Crump became the first female jockey ever to ride at a track in Puerto Rico. Astride Scot Blue, she finished second in a two-horse race at El Commandante Race Track in San Juan, beaten by a male-ridden mount named Double Broom before 18,000 spectators. It is Miss Rubin, however, who will be remembered in the annals of sport as the girl who proved her sex could win in the formerly exclusively male world of the United States racetrack.

The young jockey was obviously pleased with her achievement ‘Td have to say it was worth' all the trouble,” she remarked. “I got a little upset when the boys boycotted me at Tropical Park. But tonight that seems a long time ago.”

Croquet Officers. Officers elected at the annual meeting of the Kaiapoi Croquet Club were:—President, Mrs E. Thompson; vice-president, Mr B. Kirk; secretary, Mrs E. Johnson; treasurer, Mrs W. Power; delegate, Mrs E. Johnson; club captain, Mrs H. Noy; match committee. Mesdames G. Holmes. F. Lamplugh, G. Watson; committee, Mesdames B. Belllngton, A. Tomkins, Mr A. Potter.