Riding for My Life

The title of top jockey Krone's autobiography is not hyperbolic, because she came dangerously close to death in a spill at Saratoga in 1993 and has had other close calls while competing in one of the most dangerous sports. Raised on a farm in Michigan, where her mother trained horses, she early developed the ability to analyze horses' personalities, a talent that, she claims, has helped make her the most successful female rider of all time?the first to rack up more than 2800 races, the first to win a Triple Crown race (the Belmont in 1993) and the first to surpass $50 million in purse earnings. Krone encountered prejudice in carving out a career in an almost exclusively male field, but her toughness won respect; on a couple of occasions, she even got into brawls with male jockeys who had fouled her. Writing with freelancer Richardson (Feel No Fear), Krone tells a story that should appeal to those who enjoy a hard-run race. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Racing fans, thrilled as their favorite horse thunders past on the outside coming down the stretch, may little realize the hard work done by hundreds of people to prepare for that moment. To produce winners, the owners, trainers, exercisers, and jockeys learn their horses' strengths, foibles, and peculiarities. Krone, not the first woman jockey but the most successful and the first woman to win a Triple Crown race, gives us a jockey's-eye view of racing. She details her tomboy childhood, problems with her parents' divorce, early-career drug use, battles with fellow jockeys and the media, climb up the jockey success ladder, and horrible 1993 racetrack accident and painful, triumphant comeback. Throughout, she credits many people who gave her opportunities to race and offers advice about racing and life. Recommended for public libraries where horse racing is popular.?Kathy Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, B.C. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.