| BIOGRAPHY |
Barbara Jo Rubin, won her first race at the Hobby Horse track in the Bahamas. A few days later, February 18, 1969, she would become the first female to win a pari-mutual horse race in the U.S., when she booted home Cohesion at West Virginia's, Charles Town Race Track.
Had it not been for some bad luck, Rubin could have easily been remembered as the face of the female jockey movement. On track to also become the first woman to ride in a race, in January of 69, her plans were dashed when the male jockeys at Tropical Park threatened to boycott the race. An honor that would fall to Diane Crump, the next month. She would also lose out to Crump, as the first female to ride in The Kentucky Derby, when the horse she was to ride in the 1969 running of the roses, was withdrawn.
Rubin, would have a couple of other firsts. She would be the first to ride in New York and another first she probably wasn't too thrilled about, she was the first to retire, after only one year. Starting in 2010, through 2013 she raced in The Lady Legends Series a once a year event at Pimlico Race Course.
| SCRAPBOOK | ||
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| Loading at Hobby Horse | ||
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| Charles Town February 22, 1969 | ||
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| Calls it Quits |