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Woman Jockeys for First Derby Win

AT THE RACES

But says, "We should be beyond ... that gender thing."

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Ed Reinke / AP Photo

As the only woman trainer at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Alexis Barba is drawing her fair share of attention. Except there is nothing Barba wants less. "We should be beyond that," Barba said. "I hate that gender thing. It's great for anyone—boy or girl—to be in the Derby." Barba is only the 14th woman to train a horse in the Derby and could be the first to win it if Make Music for Me overcomes its 50-1 odds, just as Mine That Bird did in last year’s race. Make Music for Me only became eligible after a late scratch. The benchmark for a woman trainer was set in 1992, when Shelley Riley came in second with Casual Lies.

Read it at Reuters