She is arguably the most famous person to hail from the Berrien County community of Eau Claire, and certainly the only Thoroughbred Horse Racing Hall of Fame member to emerge from the area, and is now poised as the next winner of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award to be presented to her on August 17th, 2019 at the Del Mar Race Track for her groundbreaking work as a female jockey. Julie Krone, had an amazing career in Thoroughbred racing including at the Kentucky Derby.
The 56 year old Krone, born in Benton Harbor on July 24, 1963, and raised in Eau Claire, is the record setter and record breaker who made an indelible mark on Thoroughbred racing during that stellar 20-year career in the saddle. She will be honored at Del Mar on Saturday, August 17th when she will be recognized as the 16th winner of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award in ceremonies during the TVG Pacific Classic Day program. She and jockey Willie Shoemaker are two of only eight jockeys to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The Pincay Award, named for and presented by the Hall of Fame rider, goes to those who have served the sport “with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction.”
Pincay himself says, “Julie Krone fits the criterion for this award perfectly,” and says he is looking forward to presenting the handsome Pincay Award trophy to his fellow rider and Hall of Fame member. He adds, “She broke barriers in our game by showing again and again that skill and determination are the real keys to being a success when it comes to riding horses, and she has gone on to represent racing in a positive light on many occasions. She richly deserves this award.”
Krone’s exceptional career contained a series of “firsts” that single her out in the annals of the sport. She was the first woman to be a leading rider at major race meets such as Belmont Park, Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park and The Meadowlands. She became the first female rider to win a Triple Crown race. She became the first female rider to win a Breeders’ Cup race. And, of course, she became the first female jockey inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Krone, who lives in nearby Carlsbad, CA, said she was pleased to be singled out for Pincay Award distinction, saying, “This is one of those moments when you shake your head and are just so grateful to be honored with an industry award that bears the name of Laffit Pincay,” adding, “Every jockey who rode with him was better for the experience, and everything about Laffit has brought nothing but credit to the sport.”
Even the Encyclopedia Britannica tells us, “Krone grew up on a horse farm in Eau Claire where her mother, Judi was a prizewinning show rider, and Julie was only 5 years old when she began winning horse shows in the 21-and-under division. At the age of 14 she watched on television as 18-year-old Steve Cauthen won the 1978 Triple Crown and set for herself the goal of becoming a jockey. She worked for a trainer in 1979 and the next year won 20 races on Michigan’s fair circuit. She quit high school in her senior year to focus on riding.” As an accomplished show horse rider she made her riding debut in 1981 at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida and was soon off and running on a career that would make her a national celebrity.
Besides her many racetrack accolades, she has been awarded such noteworthy honors as being named
- The best U. S. Female Athlete in 1994 by ESPN
- Selected for the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award by the Woman’s Sports Foundation
- Named to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Texas
- The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
- The National Women’s Hall of Fame in New York
She overcame a series of injuries to ride at Del Mar for the 2003 season and had great success, nearly winning the riding title, while finishing first in both purses won and winning percentage. She also became the first female to capture the track’s most prestigious race that year when she was aboard for a stirring tally on Sid and Jenny Craig’s Candy Ride in the $1-million Pacific Classic.
She finished her riding career with 3,704 victories – far and away the most by any female rider – and more than $90-million in purse earnings by her mounts.
The effervescent Krone has taken turns as a TV racing commentator, a motivational speaker and an equine consultant. This summer she launched a Junior Jockey Camp in upstate New York in order to allow youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 to obtain a first-hand look into the world of Thoroughbred horsemanship, horse health and safety.
Krone is married to turf writer Jay Hovdey and they have a 14-year-old daughter, Lorelei. Hovdey has penned a book – titled “One Sweet Ride” –about his wife’s career, keyed around her summer at Del Mar and her victory aboard Candy Ride, that will be unveiled on August 17th at Del Mar.
Pincay was at one point the world’s winningest jockey with 9,530 victories. He rode for 39 seasons, including 27 summers at Del Mar, where he is still the leading rider with 1,011 firsts. The Panamanian native was voted five Eclipse Awards as the nation’s foremost rider and led the country in earnings seven times. Now 72-years-old, he lives in Arcadia near Santa Anita Park and maintains a close connection to the sport.
The photo of Eau Claire’s Julie Krone accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is courtesy of professional equine photographer Barbara Livingston, and the credit goes to her.
