KENTUCKY – Ms Diane Crump, who in 1970 became the first woman to ride professionally in the Kentucky Derby, died on Jan 1 aged 77.

Ms Crump’s daughter Della Payne announced her death on a page on the online charity fundraising platform GoFundMe, which was launched in October 2025 to help cover the costs of palliative care after Ms Crump was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer.