Gary F. Jones (June 16, 1944 – October 11, 2020) was a trainer of

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorses whose career began in 1974 and ended with his retirement at the end of July, 1996 having earned $52,672,611 in purses and the winner of 1,465 races including 102 graded stakes. Gary Jones was elected to the United States Racing Hall of Fame in 2014.

Career

Jones trained 104 stakes-winning horses, including Turkoman, the 1986

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

. Jones won 15 meet titles on the Southern California circuit, including four at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

, where he ranks sixth all time in wins (576) and seventh in stakes victories (72). He set a record with 47 wins at Santa Anita in 1976, surpassing the previous standard of 44 established by his father,

Farrell Jones Farrell (anglicization of the Irish ''Ó Fearghail'') is a surname and may refer to: * Farrell (surname) * Farrell Lines, shipping company (acquired by Maersk) * Farrell, Mississippi, a census-designated place in Mississippi * Farrell, Nevada, ...

. At

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

, Jones ranks 13th all time in wins (463) and 10th in stakes victories (58). He also won 17 stakes at Del Mar, including the inaugural

Pacific Classic Stakes The Pacific Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually August or September at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. This Grade I race is open to horses, age three and up, which race one and one-quarter miles on the ...

with Hall of Famer

Best Pal Best Pal (February 12, 1988 – November 24, 1998) was an American Hall of Fame champion racehorse, who retired as the all time record for purses of any California-bred earning (since surpassed) for his owners, the Golden Eagle Farm, US$5.6 mill ...

in 1991. Jones guided Turkoman to victories in the Marlboro Cup, Widener Handicap and Oaklawn Handicap in his 1986 championship season. Jones twice won the signature handicap in California, the Santa Anita Handicap, with Best Pal and Stuka. Along with the Pacific Classic and Santa Anita Handicap, Jones trained Best Pal to wins in the Oaklawn Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, Swaps Stakes and Strub Stakes. Jones sent out Time to Explode to equal a world record of 1:19 2/5 at Hollywood Park and conditioned Beautiful Glass to a five-furlong track mark of :55 4.5 at that same track. Other major victories for Jones include the Mother Goose, Santa Barbara Handicap, Hollywood Oaks, Del Mar Futurity, Hollywood Futurity, Yellow Ribbon, Apple Blossom Handicap, San Antonio Handicap, La Brea, San Felipe, Santa Anita Oaks, NYRA Mile, Milady Handicap, Fantasy, Californian and Norfolk. Among the outstanding horses trained by Gary Jones were

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee,

, Turkoman who was voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

as the 1986

, and Kostroma, who set a 1 1/8-mile turf

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

of 1:43 4/5 in winning the

Las Palmas Handicap The Goldikova Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three years old or older over the distance of one mile on the turf scheduled annually in November at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. The event ...

. Other notable horses trained by Jones include Quiet American, Wishing Well, Lakeway, By Land by Sea, Fali Time, Radar Ahead, Eleven Stitches and Lightning Mandate. He died on October 11, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Gary F. 1944 births 2020 deaths American racehorse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Long Beach, California