Historic, Emotional Day for Jockey Krone

Julie Krone had just won the 1993 Belmont on Colonial Affair, and right after she crossed the finish line, she said to her escort rider: “When do I stop crying?”

Tears of joy, of course.

Krone, 29, after 2,500 winners, had become the only female jockey to win a Triple Crown race. She still is.

Colonial Affair was ninth after half a mile before Krone urged methodically toward the leaders.

Suddenly, at the top of the stretch, it occurred to her that her 13-1 horse was going to win it. There, she sensed other horses around her tiring.

“I said to myself: ‘I’ve got a ton of horse under me,’ ” she said.

“He was pulling me into the bridle at the top of the stretch. It was the longest stretch drive of my life. It’s a dream come true. It takes you from delirious to making you want to cry to making you want to do it again.”

Krone had ridden Colonial Affair in eight of his 10 races.

“He’s got long legs, a big body and big feet,” she said. “He’s kind of gawky. He’s a Baby Huey-type horse.”

It was Krone’s fourth Triple Crown race--one Derby and two Belmonts. She had never finished higher than sixth.

Also on this date: In 1964, at the Compton Invitational track and field meet, eight runners finished under 4:00 in the mile at Compton Junior College. In a wild, crowded finish, Dyrol Burleson won, in 3:57.6, followed by Tom O’Hara, Archie San Romani, Morgan Groth, Jim Grelle, Bob Day, Cary Weisiger and Jim Ryun, all under four minutes. Ryun, eighth, a high school junior from Kansas, clocked 3:59.0. . . . In 1937, War Admiral secured the Triple Crown, winning the Belmont Stakes by four lengths in a track record for 1 1/2 miles, 2:28 3/5.