Sandra Kaye Bell (born March 4, 1953, in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

) was one of the first female jockeys in the history of American thoroughbred racing. She rode her first race at Churchill Downs on November 16, 1971, and raced at major race tracks across the United States.

First career

As a jockey (1971 & 1972) she was the first female to win a race at Keeneland and Oaklawn Park race tracks. During this period she rode under contract to

Horatio Luro Horatio A. Luro (February 27, 1901 - December 16, 1991) was a thoroughbred horse racing trainer in the United States. Luro was born in Argentina as one of nine children into the wealthy family of rancher and meat packer Adolfo Luro. The family ...

and Doug Davis and was the first woman to win two

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

Day Races (1972) on the same day at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

. As a trainer (1972–1990), Kaye Bell trained at all the major tracks in Kentucky, New York, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Arkansas, Michigan, Louisiana and California. Her win in the 1975 Michigan Mile and One-Eighth marked the first time a woman trained a $100,000 stakes winner. As an owner (1985–2006) she bred, raised and raced horses off her (1000 acre – 50 horse) farm in Virginia.

Second career

Currently she operates The Art of Racing; a consulting service that trains thoroughbreds for racing and show purposes. In her work she travels between Lexington, Kentucky and Los Angeles, California acting as liaison between the film industry and racetracks worldwide. Over the years she has expanded her knowledge and studied in depth the world of equine veterinary medicine. She also works with her husband, John DeCuir Jr., in their entertainment consulting firm, Architects of Illusion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Kaye American female jockeys American jockeys 1953 births Living people American female horse trainers Jockeys from Lexington, Kentucky 20th-century American sportswomen 21st-century American women Sportspeople from Kentucky