Wantha Davis
Encyclopedia
Wantha Davis is a pioneering American
female
jockey
in thoroughbred horse racing
.
Born Wantha Lorena Bangs near Liberal
, Kansas
, she married horse breeder Lendol Davis. After graduating from High School, Ms. Bangs rode a freight train to Texas
where she found work in the stables at a thoroughbred racetrack. A year later she was back in Kansas where she began her career as a jockey. Competing in a male dominated sport, over the next twenty plus years Wantha Davis won more than one thousand races at a time when women were refused licensing.
Her success was such that many major sports writers considered her to be among the top jockeys in the United States. Her victories include the 1940 Tucson Derby in Tucson, Arizona
but she is probably most famous for defeating the great Johnny Longden
in an exhibition match race at Agua Caliente Racetrack
in Tijuana
, Mexico
on December 18, 1949. A few months later on April 30, 1950, Davis followed up with a similar match race victory over another future National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
jockey, Jack Westrope
.
In 2004, Wantha Davis was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Cowgirl Museum
in Fort Worth
, Texas
.
Wantha Davis
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
in thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
.
Born Wantha Lorena Bangs near Liberal
Liberal, Kansas
Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,525.- History :S.S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving water to weary travelers...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, she married horse breeder Lendol Davis. After graduating from High School, Ms. Bangs rode a freight train to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
where she found work in the stables at a thoroughbred racetrack. A year later she was back in Kansas where she began her career as a jockey. Competing in a male dominated sport, over the next twenty plus years Wantha Davis won more than one thousand races at a time when women were refused licensing.
Her success was such that many major sports writers considered her to be among the top jockeys in the United States. Her victories include the 1940 Tucson Derby in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
but she is probably most famous for defeating the great Johnny Longden
Johnny Longden
John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
in an exhibition match race at Agua Caliente Racetrack
Agua Caliente Racetrack
The Agua Caliente Racetrack is a greyhound racing and former horse racing track in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It opened in December 1929 at a cost of $2.5 million.One year before, the Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel opened in June 1928....
in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on December 18, 1949. A few months later on April 30, 1950, Davis followed up with a similar match race victory over another future National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
jockey, Jack Westrope
Jack Westrope
Jack Gordon Westrope was an American Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Baker, Montana, Westrope was the son of racehorse owner/trainer W. T. Westrope. Jack was only 12 years old when he rode his first winner on a small track in Lemmon, South Dakota...
.
In 2004, Wantha Davis was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Cowgirl Museum
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit...
in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
External links
Wantha Davis