Big strides

But Mullins embraces it all--the solitary lifestyle, the austerity, the whispers, the veiled sexism, the whole lot of it. She's no pioneer, simply a woman who began riding horses when she was five and never wanted to get off.

"The racing world is a very exciting world," she says. "It's got a lot of glamour to it. It's not easy to do, and that's what makes it challenging, and there was a potential there to make money at it. When you can make money doing what you love, what more can you want? So far, everything's right on track."

Then she pauses, and what comes out her mouth next sounds suspiciously like the words of a woman with a cause: "Obviously, no woman has won the Kentucky Derby yet, and that's the biggest goal I've got. If you aim for the stars, you might miss and hit the moon."

In the end, Mullins has only one cause: winning.