In 1980 Krone became an apprentice (student) jockey at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Florida. On February 12, 1981, Krone won her first race, riding a horse named Lord Farkle.
Cute. Not!
Within a couple of years, Krone was racing at larger, more famous tracks in Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. In both 1982 and 1983 Krone was the leading jockey at Atlantic City in New Jersey. By the mid-1980s, Krone was one of the top five riders on the East Coast of the United States. She earned praise as an intelligent rider, a jockey who made horses "run for her," and showed an ability to communicate with the horse she was riding. She was also considered tough and competitive. "In a lot of people's minds, a girl jockey is cute and delicate," she told Newsweek. "With me, what you get is reckless and aggressive."
Krone learned early on that she would have to show she was tough enough and strong enough to be a good jockey. Most horse trainers thought that women tired out during races and weren't able to control the powerful horses. And to make matters worse, when a female jockey did make a mistake, trainers made a big deal out of it.
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