Krone Returns--With a Winner

Breaking her left arm in four places and being sidelined eight months has not changed Julie Krone on the race track.

When the world’s best female jockey rides, she often wins.

Krone returned to thoroughbred racing in storybook fashion Wednesday at Monmouth Park as she guided an undistinguished 3-year-old maiden to victory in her first race since breaking her left forearm in a career-threatening spill in November.

“I’m so happy,” Krone said after posting her 1,900th career victory one day after her 27th birthday. “It’s not so much a sense of relief as much as ‘Wow, can I still do it?’ and ‘I can still do it.’ ”

There was little doubt of that after her return ride on Two Ques. She got the filly out of the gate fast, fought off two challengers on the backstretch and then took command, winning by 5 3/4 lengths.

In typical Monmouth Park fashion, the patrons made Krone’s horse the even-money favorite.

“Good luck, Julie” was the common wish expressed by more than a dozen people in the paddock area before the race and cries of “You’re the best” rose from the masses after the race.

Krone heard some of them, even though she had other things on her mind in the moments after her first race since the spill aboard My Rolin at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Nov. 24.

“That was the best walk back, I’ve ever had,” said Krone, who also took her time getting Two Ques back to the winner’s circle.

All the horses Krone rode Wednesday ran well. She won the fifth race with Gandad after a stirring stretch duel with Dino Mike in which jockey Art Madrid and Krone bumped at least once. Krone also finished third in the fourth race with Ampart Slew and sixth in the eighth with Castle Dell.