Mary Hirsch
Toronto Daily Star, March 20 1933
It's noticeable that Ms. Hirsch was described as "pretty". No one particularly cared whether the male thoroughbred trainers were handsome.
A search turned up this article on Mary Hirsch. Apparently, her 1933 application was "tabled", but she persisted, and she was licensed to train in Illinois and Michigan in 1934. By 1936, she was licensed to train almost everywhere, and she trained an entry in the 1937 Kentucky Derby, becoming the first woman to do so. Her training career ended in 1940 when she married racing official Charles McLennan.
Created July 28, 2025.