On June 22, 1939, Anna Lee Aldred received her jockey's license from the Pacific Coast Jockey Club, becoming the first woman licensed to race professionally in the U.S.
On June 22, 1939, Anna Lee Aldred made history by becoming the first woman to be granted a professional jockey's license in the United States, issued by the Pacific Coast Jockey Club. At the time, horse racing was an almost exclusively male profession, and licensing boards had never before certified a woman to compete against men on the track.
Aldred's achievement came after years of proving her skill in rodeo and informal racing circuits, where she had already demonstrated superior horsemanship. Her licensing opened the door, symbolically and legally, for women's participation in a sport that had long been considered the province of men, though full acceptance and opportunity for female jockeys would take decades longer to materialize.
Despite holding the license, Aldred faced significant resistance from track officials, fellow jockeys, and racing associations who were reluctant to allow her to actually race. She competed in a limited number of official races, often facing hostility and discrimination, but her legal status as a licensed jockey represented a crucial first crack in the wall of gender exclusion in American thoroughbred racing.
Her pioneering step preceded the more widely publicized breakthroughs of later female jockeys such as Kathy Kusner and Diane Crump by decades, cementing Aldred's place as the true trailblazer of women in American horse racing.