From Mary Lou to Tom; Jim Dandy to Fourstardave; Siro’s to backyard tailgating; and morning workouts to give aways; Saratoga has a cast of heroes, customs, and institutions which make it, in our opinion, the most unique sporting venue on Earth. Over the next 40 Days, we will profile 40 of these legends and traditions, adding our own memories and experiences from 30 plus years of summering at the Spa. It’s our Salute to Saratoga. We hope you enjoy following along.
She never won a Saratoga riding title. She never had her picture taken in the winner’s circle for the Travers. Yet, in the early to mid-1990’s there was no brighter and bigger star in the Saratoga jockey colony—which included Hall of Famers such as Bailey, Antley, Romero, Smith and Velasquez—than Julie Krone. Standing at 4 feet 10 inches, and barely cracking triple digits in pounds, Krone could not be overlooked.
As the riders exited the Saratoga jockeys room before a race and made the fabled walk through the fans to the paddock, Krone always drew the most attention from autograph seekers. And without fail, she engaged each one, asking their name and if they were having fun, before handing them back their program or Sports Illustrated (both of which she graced the cover) bearing her newly minted signature with the famous smiley face in the loop of the J. An example from my personal collection is below. She was the star of the jockey community and her celebrity was well deserved.
Krone often found herself near the top of Saratoga jockey’s standings. She usually had a full slate of mounts every day. Over the years, she amassed an impressive resume of stakes wins at the Spa including, but certainly not limited to, the Saratoga Special in 1992, the Diana and Sword Dancer in 1993, the Honorable Miss and John A. Morris (now the Personal Ensign) in 1994 and the Kings Bishop in 1997.
Unlike her bubbly personality, her riding style was tough as nails and she was a fierce competitor. As personable as she was before the race, after the race, you could always count on her running past fans to the nearest TV to watch the replay—where she’d watch intently often shaking her head, as if disappointed in herself or furious at how the race unfolded.
Unfortunately, Krone’s toughness was pushed to its limits at Saratoga in 1993. On the last day of the meet, sitting just fours wins behind leading rider Mike Smith, Krone suffered a horrific fall. Her right ankle was shattered and she had bruising on her chest and lacerations to her elbows which caused her bones to protrude through the skin. Experts have opined that if she wasn’t wearing a riding vest, the horse kick to her chest would have killed her. As Krone would later recount: “I’ve had bones that were broken clean in two, but this was beyond that.… Normally you can say things to separate yourself from the pain: ‘O.K., breathe. Do yoga. Don’t lose control.’ But with this, there was no control. My neck hurt and I couldn’t breathe. I had no faculties. I was in outer space. I tried to pass out, but I couldn’t. I swear, if I’d had the choice then, I would have contemplated suicide because it hurt so bad.”
She returned to riding the following Spring and was back near the top of the Saratoga riding standings the following year. She hated to miss riding, especially at Saratoga. Illustrating this point, in 1995, she got married during the Saratoga meet. Mary Lou Whitney, as a wedding gift, hosted the reception for 300 guests. Krone rode a full slate of races on her wedding day before rushing to the alter. She was back at the track riding another full slate the day after. All business.
Fittingly, Krone returned to Saratoga in 2000, not to ride, but to be inducted into the National Racing Museum Hall of Fame.
We’ll leave you with some vintage Krone footage including her 1997 King’s Bishop victory on a Tale of a Cat and her antics as the starter in the 1995 Jockey Foot Race at Saratoga.
