Julie Krone: A Darn Good Jockey© Greg Melikov
Aug 24, 1999
Julieann Louise Krone rode her first horse, a pony named Dixie, on the family farm in Michigan. She was 3.
Julie Krone, who quit high school in her senior year, rode her first thoroughbred to victory at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12, 1981. She was 17.
Krone rode her last winner on April 18 at Lone Star Park -- more than 3,500 victories later. I was there on that Sunday when more than 21,000 upbeat fans paid tribute to the only woman to win a Triple Crown race -- aboard Colonial Affair in the 1993 Belmont Stakes.
At 37, she decided to retire. She made her last appearance in the saddle memorable, winning three races in five trips; she also finished second and third. It was ironic that one victory came on Executive Girl in the third race, the Julie Krone Classic, a sprint for fillies and mares.
In the winner's circle, she was asked:
"Are you going to be an executive girl?"
"No," she told the interviewer. "I'm going to work around horses."
Krone's last mount in South Florida was Anguilla, the 4-year-old filly who captured the $200,000 Black Helen Handicap at Hialeah Race Course eight days earlier.
She has enjoyed some success at Florida tracks, especially at Gulfstream Park, where she was top jockey in '92 and '93. They're only a couple of her numerous riding titles.
Then injuries started to take their toll. In late summer '93, she was involved in a frightful spill at Saratoga that keep her off the track until May '94. Her fractured right ankle required two plates and 14 screws.
Another spill at Gulfstream early in the '95 meeting cost Krone two months with a broken little finger and a wrenched wrist. "Injuries are part of any athletic event," she philosophized. "You try not to think about; or that it can happen to you. If you do, then you can't be your best. I just always try to stay very focused and very positive. I always think I have a shot to win."
Krone walked away a winner from Lone Star Park on April 18, mobbed by the crowd that chanted, "Julie, Julie."
She won't be forgotten.
"I always thought I was good enough," said Krone, who returned to Eau Claire, Mich., in '97 to receive her high school diploma. "I hope some people agree."
I certainly do.
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