Cheryl White

Cheryl White was the first Black female jockey in the world. Cheryl’s career spanned 21 years, winning over 750 races. Cheryl rode her first race at Thistledown Racetrack in Cleveland, Ohio on June 15, 1971, and that same year became the first woman to win two races on the same day in two states. In 1983 she was the first female jockey to win five races in one day. Cheryl rode all disciplines of horses and was the first woman to win the Appaloosa Horse Club Jockey of the Year award in 1977, winning that title again in 1983, 1984, and 1985, eventually being inducted into the Appaloosa Hall of Fame in 2011. Her father Raymond White Sr. was an accomplished thoroughbred horse trainer with a career that spanned over 60 years.

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MORE ABOUT CHERYL WHITE

The Jockey & Her Horse: Inspired by the True Story of the First Black Female Jockey, Cheryl White
Following in the hoofprints of The Flying Horse, Pulitzer Prize nominee Sarah Maslin Nir and Raymond White Jr.’s The Jockey & Her Horse is the second title in the Once Upon a Horse series, inspired by the true story of the first Black female jockey, Cheryl White, who raced to the finish line on her horse, Jetolara – illustrated with black-and-white art by Laylie Frazier.

Cleveland Black History Legend: Cheryl White, America’s 1st Black Female Jockey, 19 News, Cleveland, OH

Ohio Native Cheryl White Paved Way as First Black Female Jockey, 4 News, Columbus, OH

The Story of Cheryl White, Who Made History in Horse Racing, GMA