Julie Krone injured in spill at Hollywood Park

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone was hospitalized Friday after injuring her back in a spill at Hollywood Park.

Krone, admitted to Centinela Hospital Medical Center, was to undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury, hospital spokeswoman Janice Yergan said.

Yergan said Krone has bruises on her back. Hollywood Park spokesman Mike Mooney said the jockey complained of pain in her sternum and rib cage, but was able to move. There was no immediate word on how long the often-injured 40-year-old Krone will be sidelined.

Skidoo, ridden by David Nuesch, fractured his right foreleg midway down the backstretch in the 7 1/2-furlong claiming race for 3-year-olds and up and fell directly into the path of Krone and her mount, Clover Situation.

Krone was thrown to the ground when Clover Situation collided with Skidoo.

Mooney said Nuesch escaped serious injury. Skidoo, a 4-year-old colt, was euthanized and Clover Situation wasn't injured.

Krone has 3,704 career wins and has been among the leading riders in Southern California since ending a 3 1/2-year retirement in November 2002. She was inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 2000 and is the only woman to ride winners of a Triple Crown race and a Breeders' Cup race.

Krone has bounced back from several serious injuries during her career, most recently from a spill March 8 at Santa Anita when she broke two bones in her lower back and suffered two compression fractures of vertebrae.

She returned July 10 at Hollywood Park and battled Patrick Valenzuela for leading jockey honors at Del Mar later in the summer.

Krone took the lead over Valenzuela at the Hollywood Park meeting by winning two races Wednesday and two more Thursday to give her a total of 23 victories. Valenzuela, who has 22 wins, sat out the last three days with the flu.

The 34-year-old Nuesch began riding on the Southern California circuit earlier this year. He has 1,202 career victories.