SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Julie Krone will become the first female inducted into thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame in ceremonies today at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion across Union Avenue from Saratoga, the oldest racetrack in the country.
By far the most successful female jockey, Krone will join the trainer Neil Drysdale and the horses A.P. Indy, Needles and Winning Colors as the 2000 inductees into racing's shrine.
Krone, 37, will become the 79th jockey, Drysdale the 73th trainer.
In 19 years, including her beginnings in Maryland, Krone won 3,545 races, and her mounts earned $81,802,508.
She is the only female jockey to win a Triple Crown race, capturing the 1993 Belmont aboard Colonial Affair.
She won riding titles at Atlantic City, Belmont Park, Gulfstream Park, the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park.
Despite its success, her riding career was marred by horrific spills and severe injuries.
She retired last year suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
She works as an analyst for the racing network TVG and does voice-overs for Nickelodeon.
Drysdale, 53, has won stakes with more than 100 horses.
His champions include A.P. Indy, Fiji, Hollywood Wildcat, Princess Rooney and Tasso.
He won his first Triple Crown race this year with Fusaichi Pegasus in the Kentucky Derby.
During his abbreviated career in 1991 and 1992, A.P. Indy won eight of 11 races including the Belmont and Breeders' Cup Classic.
In 1992, he was 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year.
Needles raced 1955 through 1957 and won 11 of 21 races, including the 1956 Kentucky Derby and Belmont.
Winning Colors became the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby in 1988.
She also defeated males in that year's Santa Anita Derby.
Travers field may be Dandy
The top four finishers in Saturday's Jim Dandy Stakes - Graeme Hall, Curule, Unshaded and Postponed - as well as the beaten favorite Albert the Great - will possibly return in the Travers.
They will join graduates from yesterday's Haskell Invitational Handicap at Monmouth Park in the Aug. 26 Travers, "the mid-summer Derby," as the wide-open battle for champion 3-year-old continues. . . . Edgar Prado, the former Maryland riding star, has put his home in Howard County up for sale and is looking for property in New York. After a standout decade in Maryland, Prado began riding regularly last summer at Saratoga. . . . D. Wayne Lukas, trainer of the Maryland-bred La Salle Street, says that he was not discouraged about the $2 million colt's ninth-place finish July 27 in his debut at Saratoga. Shin problems had forced Lukas to keep putting off the 3-year-old's first race.
"He's a big, heavy, powerful horse, and it's almost impossible to get a horse like that fit from workouts," Lukas said. "He's got a lot of ability. I haven't given up on the horse."
Lukas said La Salle Street will probably run again late at Saratoga or this fall at Belmont.
Last year at Keeneland, the son of Not For Love and Three Grand sold for $2 million, equaling the world record for a 2-year-old sold at auction.
