Women at the Kentucky Derby are supposed to be sipping mint juleps under their big hats, right? Well, even though the Kentucky Derby is steeped in tradition — an old-fashioned Southern tradition, in fact — women have been breaking through the glass gates for some time now — as owners, trainers and, yes, jockeys. The most recent female jockey was Rosemary Homeister, Jr., who rode Supah Blitz in the 2003 Derby.

Still, even though girls much more than boys seem to attach themselves to horses and horse-riding at early ages, professional horseback riding is certainly a male-dominated sport. Homeister was only the fifth female jockey to ride in the Derby since Diana Crump became the first in 1970.

Larry Muhammad of the Louisville Courier-Journal recently wrote about Cheryl White, “America’s first female black jockey” — who, despite her many awards and accomplishments, has been largely overlooked by history. White, now 53, is a racing official in California.

“I think if she’d been given the opportunities that women are just now starting to get, she would have blown them all out of the water,” said Tina Hines, publisher of FastHorsesMagazine.net.

Hines had tracked White down and wrote about her career in March after rediscovering a 1971 issue of Jet magazine with White on the cover.

Speaking of history, Richard Crepeau several years ago wrote this timeless reflection about Kentucky Derby tradition — and how so much of our culture is reflected in the hoopla surrounding what has become known as the greatest two minutes in sports.