LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At the Kentucky Derby Museum, the “Right to Ride” exhibit tells the stories of female jockeys who broke barriers in the sport of horse racing.

Jessica Whitehead, the senior curator of collections for the Kentucky Derby Museum, traveled the country to talk to the trailblazing women who made a profound impact on the sport.

“The idea of women as jockeys was so distasteful to the male establishment and this very male dominated thoroughbred industry that women didn’t break into this sport until the late 1960s. They had to use a civil rights defense after the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed to be able to do so and do what they loved,” Whitehead said.

Diane Crump, a 21-year-old blonde from Oldsmar, Fla., is on the threshold of becoming the first female rider in the Kentucky Derby, slated at Louisville on Saturday, April 30, 1970. She seems to be telling Fathom, her mount in the Derby, something. Miss Crump says the Derby won't be any different than the first time I rode. (AP Photo)

Even after that, some women who tried to race didn’t get the chance to because the male jockeys they were supposed to ride against boycotted. Diane Crump, featured prominently at the exhibit, told Spectrum News 1 what was running through her mind back then as she followed the news.

“I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of having the opportunity to do it,” Crump said.

Finally, in 1964, Crump got that chance. She became the first woman ever to ride in a pari-mutuel horse race in the United States. While that was a huge moment in history, Crump faced pushback.

Diane Crump, apprentice jockey, kisses her mount, Tou Ritzi, after winning the second race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kent., April 29, 1969. This was her fifth win as a jockey and first at Churchill Downs. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)

“From where I weighed in to where the horses were getting saddled, it took an armed guard to get me there,” Crump said. “Everybody was so up in arms. It was so bizarre.”

Then, in 1970, Crump got an offer from W. L. Lyons Brown to ride his horse Fathom in the Kentucky Derby. Crump said, while she knew Fathom would be a long shot, she was thrilled to get the opportunity to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

“It was an incredible energy that was there on the track that day,” Whitehead said regarding the 1970 Kentucky Derby. “She [Crump] had to be escorted through the crowds because everyone was so curious to get a look at this woman who was going to be making history.”

While Crump and Fathom didn’t finish in the money, it was a huge win for inclusivity in the sport.

“As I look back, I feel the one thing me riding in the Derby did is it gave women and legitimacy to be there,” Crump said.

By powering through the pushback, Crump opened the door for other women to race. Five female jockeys have ridden in the Kentucky Derby since Crump’s historic run.

“That was me. I got to start it all, and it was hard. Those first ten years, there were not many people who were open to riding women,” Crump said.

As we approach the 151st Kentucky Derby, only six different women have ever ridden a horse in the Run for the Roses for a total of nine starts.

“Rosie Nepravnik is the woman who currently has the highest finish, which was fourth. Then, of course, she has won two Kentucky Oaks. We’ve gotten so close, and it would be so amazing to see a woman win the Kentucky Derby. What a stroke for history that would be,” Whitehead said.

Crump, the first woman to race in the Kentucky Derby, hopes to live to see the first woman to win it.

You can learn more about Crump, and other female jockeys at the Kentucky Derby Museum’s “Right to Ride” exhibit. The exhibit is included with general admission to the Kentucky Derby Museum.