At four-feet-ten-and-one-half-inches tall and 100 pounds, Julie Krone is about the average size for a professional jockey. What is unusual about her is that she is a woman in the male-dominated sport of horse racing. In 1993 Krone made history, becoming the first woman jockey to win one of horse racing's Triple Crown (made up of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes) when she rode Colonial Affair to victory in the Belmont Stakes. One of the nation's top jockeys, Krone has spent her entire career trying to prove to people who doubted her that women can be successful jockeys.

Julieanne Louise Krone was born July 24, 1963, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. She and her older brother, Donnie, grew up on a farm in Eau Claire, Michigan. Their dad, Don, taught art at Benton Harbor High School. The Krone children learned to ride from their mother, Judi, who gave...