Wantha Davis

Wantha Davis
nation	United States
birthday	January 3, 1917
place of birth	Liberal , Kansas
date of death	September 18, 2012
Career
discipline	Horse racing
Victories	over 1000

Wantha Davis (born January 3, 1917 - September 18, 2012 ) was an American jockey in horse racing .

She was born Wantha Lorena Bangs near Liberal , Kansas and married the horse breeder Lendol Davis. After high school , she rode a freight train to Texas , where she found work in a racing stable. She returned to Kansas a year later and began her career as a jockey. In the next 20 years she won over 1000 races in male-dominated thoroughbred sport, at a time when women were not even allowed to acquire a jockey license.

She was so successful that many major sports commentators considered her one of the top jockeys in America. Among other things, she won the Tucson Derby in Tucson, Arizona . She also became known for her victory over the great Johnny Longden in a match race at the Hipódromo de Agua Caliente in Tijuana , Mexico on December 18, 1949. A few months later, on April 30, 1950, Davis was able to win Jack Westrope in a similar match race beat, who was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

In 2004, Wantha Davis was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth , Texas .

She died peacefully with her family on September 18, 2012.

Web links

• Wantha Davis website
• Wantha Davis at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Individual evidence

1. ^ Q-Racing: Wantha Davis Dies . Aqha.com. January 3, 1917. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 23, 2013. 
2. ↑ Wantha Lorena Davis Obituary . Legacy.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.