[2] She told Sports Illustrated in her 1972 cover profile that she was born in San Francisco, California on August 14, 1944, but the journal could find no birth record of a Robyn Caroline Smith for several years around that time.
The decision of whether or not to award her the license was dependent upon Al Shelhamer, who had not seen Smith ride in person and would have to consult film of her first two Golden Gate races.
"[10] While many Thoroughbred owners were reluctant to lend their horses to a female rider, Smith found an ally in Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., the chairman of the New York Racing Association during her jockey career.
[13] Retired textile executive Nathan Isaacs named a filly, Ramblin Robyn, after Smith, and she rode the horse to victory at Aqueduct in December 1973.
Most notably, Smith prevented the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from using video footage of Astaire during its 1992 televised tribute to his longtime Hollywood collaborator Ginger Rogers.
[26] In 1998, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Smith in a decision over whether an instructional videotape manufacturer could use public domain footage of Astaire in the films Second Chorus and Royal Wedding to teach dance steps.