KMAX: Sports

Julie Krone rides Debonair Joe to upset victory in Malibu Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) Debonair Joe and Julie Krone are becoming the hottest long shot pair in Southern California racing.

The bay gelding teamed with Krone on Thursday to record a come-from-behind victory in the $200,000 Malibu Stakes, opening-day feature of the 66th thoroughbred meeting at Santa Anita.

Krone became the first female jockey to win a Grade I race at a California track. Debonair Joe, who carried 119 pounds, beat Total Limit by a head and, as a 26-1 long shot, paid $55.60, $17.20 and $9 in the 51st running of the race for 3-year-olds.

The win payoff was the highest in the history of the race. Bien Host's $54.20 win payoff in 1956 was the previous record.

Debonair Joe, a California-bred son of Ole, teamed with Krone to win the Grade III Vernon O. Underwood Handicap at Hollywood Park on Dec. 7, returning $107.60. It was the first stakes victory for the 39-year-old Krone following her 3{-year retirement.

Owned by Lynne H. Ristad of Pismo Beach, Calif., and trained by Juan Pablo Silva, Debonair Joe came into the stretch five wide in fourth place, but within easy striking distance.

``At the top of the stretch, I think my horse thought to himself, 'Oh, we have 'em,' ''said Krone, the only female jockey in the Racing Hall of Fame. ``So he was just coasting along. Then when he saw the horse, I just buried my head and was letting him know left-handed. He had a real concept of where the wire was and he laid it on 'em.''

The winning time was 1:22 2-5.

Total Limit returned $7.20 and $4.20, and third-place finisher American System paid $5.80 to show.

A woman hadn't won more than an allowance race at Santa Anita before Krone's Malibu victory, made even more impressive by the fact that her horse out-kicked one ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., thoroughbred racing's all-time leading jockey.

Though he turns 56 on Sunday, Pincay is still considered one of the sport's strongest finishers.

A crowd of 25,677 turned out on a sun-splashed balmy day at Santa Anita to watch the track's 26th consecutive year of opening on the day after Christmas.

Sunday Break, the 5-2 favorite, finished last in the field of 11. The Japanese-bred colt was making his first start since finishing third in the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

Earlier in the day, Excessivepleasure won the $125,000 California Breeders' Champion Stakes by five lengths over Martinblestme.

Excessivepleasure, ridden by David Flores and carrying 116 pounds, covered seven furlongs in 1:22 3-5 and paid $12.60, $6.60 and $5.

Martinblestme returned $5.80 and $4.40 and Judge Swiss, who finished third in the race for 2-year-olds bred in California, paid $8.20 to show.

D's Bertrando, the 3-2 favorite, finished seventh in a field of eight.

Also, Inesperado won the $78,050 Sir Beaufort Stakes for 3-year-olds by a head over Music's Storm.

Inesperado covered one mile on turf in 1:35 4-5 and paid $7.40, $4.40 and $3.20. Music's Storm returned $9.60 and $5 and third-place finisher Golden Arrow paid $3.40 to show.

Medecis, the 9-10 favorite, finished seventh in the field of eight.

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