Current Biography Excerpts: Horse Racing

KRONE, JULIE
(krohn)
July 24, 1963- Jockey.

In the twenty-one years that women have been racing thoroughbred horses, none has enjoyed more success than Julie Krone. When she rode her 1,205th winner, in March 1988, Miss Krone passed Patricia Cooksey to become the top female rider in history, and, by June 1989, she had won more than 1,600 races. The first woman to capture a riding championship at a major track and the first to compete in the prestigious Breeders' Cup races, Miss Krone, whose 1988 victory total of 363 made her the fourth-leading jockey in the nation, is now ranked by horse racing experts among the sport's best riders, male or female. Julie Krone, who has often told interviewers that racing is "in [her] bones,"began riding at the age of two and is the daughter of a champion horsewoman. The horse owners and trainers whose mounts she rides unanimously cite her subtle ability to communicate with her horse during a race, spurring the animal on to peak performance. She has the knack of making her horse relax and knows when to be aggressive and when to hold back. "Not only does she have incredible drive," Peter Shannon Jr., one of the owners for whom Miss Krone races, has said, "but she thinks like a horse. She's actually in rhythm with the horse." Similarly, Paul Moran of New York Newsday (December 17, 1987) has observed that Julie Krone "rides with daring and verve that often seems to be reflected in the performances of the horses beneath her. They seem to respond, whatever the circumstances, to her daring, her willingness to take chances, and her determined, strong finishing style. She rides every horse to the wire--through the wire."

Copyright © 1996 by The H. W. Wilson Co.

The complete article can be found on the Current Biography CD-ROM and in the 1989 Current Biography Yearbook.

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