Robyn Smith

Robyn Smith Astaire, born on 14 August 1944, is an American retired jockey who rode from 1969 to 1980. In April 1969 she became the first female jockey in Northern California, and she went on to win 247 races at California and New York tracks. In 1973 she became the first female jockey to win a stakes race, taking the Paumonok Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack on North Sea, and on 3 October 1975 she became the first woman to win three races in one afternoon at a major New York track. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on 31 July 1972, announced her retirement in August 1980 and married the dancer Fred Astaire that June.