Archives » Women & Racing
We Get It, Now Shut Up
Forget history, forget science. Just cherry pick a few high-profile examples, make a few specious connections, ignore evidence to the contrary. We get it: In certain testosterone-addled minds, fillies and mares can't compete against males without risking death or a barren womb: "That's just the way this planet is." Tell that to Makybe Diva, Ouija Board, Gorella, Soviet Song, Intercontinental, Azeri, Serena's Song, Sharp Cat, Dahlia, Personal Ensign, Lady's Secret, Miesque, Imp, Regret, Busher, Gallorette, and Beldame. And then shut up. Of all the debates that have arisen following Eight Belles' tragic post-Derby accident, the one over whether fillies should...
Posted by JC, May 15, 2008 11:00 AM
The Gender Gap
There wasn't much excitement about the Belmont the week before the race. No Triple Crown was on the line and there would be no rematch between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners. Trainer Patrick Biancone was planning to enter his allowance winner Time Squared and owner Larry Roman his grossly overmatched colt, Digger. There was a $1 million purse for the taking, and no one seemed to want it. But then trainer Todd Pletcher entered Rags to Riches, and suddenly, a race was on. There was a storyline, the battle of the sexes, something for handicappers and racing fans to...
Posted by JC, Jun 11, 2007 12:00 PM
Yes, It Is 2005, Not 1905
Vic Zast gets an earful for his condescending, stereotype-laden February 12 Blood-Horse essay on women and racing (as does the magazine for publishing it) in the February 19 issue's letters to the editor section: "What were you thinking printing an article with that malicious tone in a magazine aimed at horse owners, breeders, etc ...," writes JoLynn Johnston, director of marketing at River Downs. "Horse racing has plenty of competition and enemies in the world, so why an upstanding, well-produced industry publication like the Blood-Horse would stoop to printing this trash is unfathomable." Deb Morris of Las Vegas was even...
Posted by JC, Mar 1, 2005 11:45 AM
Where Are All the Girls?
"The female jockey in South Florida, the place where it all started when Diane Crump broke the sex barrier in 1969 by riding at Hialeah Park, is suddenly an endangered species. And the trend doesn't appear confined to South Florida." Only two women jockeys -- newcomers Chantal Sutherland and Stacey Podobinski -- have ridden in the Gulfstream meet this year. I know there are a couple of female apprentices in Philadelphia, and Jill Jellison is riding right now at Tampa, but I can't think of a single female rider in New York or California (although there must be a couple)....
Posted by JC, Feb 16, 2005 09:30 AM
For Anyone Still Living in the 1950s
Vic Zast helps horseplaying men understand women: "She believes in picking her winners with a hat pin. The colors of the jockey's silks, the horse's name, the appearance of the owners in the walking ring -- these are all legitimate reasons for women to take a stab at a longshot. A woman's intuition works in many ways, and when it does, don't be surprised. Women can tell when owners and trainers expect their horses will win by some savvy sixth sense. She doesn't need to hear from you which horse is going to win on the basis of track bias."...
Posted by JC, Feb 9, 2005 08:45 AM
Here's a She-Tip For You, Andy Stronach
Pay attention to female racing fans. I know that on a typical day at the track the crowd is overwhelmingly male. Last night I went to Suffolk to catch a couple of Santa Anita races and I was one of about three women in the place, and the only one under 60. The numbers aren't as bad on a sunny weekend afternoon, although even then they still skew to men. Yet, as research commissioned by the NTRA in 2004 showed, 52% of loyal horseracing fans (defined as consumers 18+ who are very or somewhat interested in racing) are women. Women...
Posted by JC, Jan 18, 2005 06:30 PM
