Loyd "Boo" Gentry Jr. (January 19, 1925 – July 1, 2012) was an American

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...

best known for training

Proud Clarion Proud Clarion (January 19, 1964 – December 17, 1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1967 Kentucky Derby. Background Owned and bred by John W. Galbreath, Proud Clarion was foaled at his Darby Dan Farm in Lexi ...

to win the

1967 Kentucky Derby The 1967 Kentucky Derby was the 93rd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 6, 1967. Full results * Winning Breeder: John W. Galbreath; (KY) References 1967 Kentucky Derby Derby Kentucky Kentucky Derby The Kentu ...

Background

Born in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

, Gentry was the son of jockey and trainer, Loyd Gentry Sr. His father trained for the prominent Canadian horseman Harry C. Hatch for whom he conditioned the winner of the 1941

King's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of for a max ...

. Loyd Jr. was also the nephew of Olin B. Gentry, who managed the horse breeding operations of Colonel Edward R. Bradley. Gentry served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1943 to 1946 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

before beginning his career as a trainer.

Early career

Gentry competed mainly at

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

s in New York, South Florida, Kentucky, and Illinois. Gentry trained for several major owners including

Harry Frank Guggenheim Harry Frank Guggenheim (August 23, 1890 – January 22, 1971) was an American businessman, diplomat, publisher, philanthropist, aviator, and horseman. Early life He was born August 23, 1890, in the Wst End section of Long Branch, New Jersey. H ...

. In 1955 he sent two of Guggenheim's colts to run in the Kentucky Derby: the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...

winner Racing Fool, ridden by

Henry Moreno Henry E. "Hank" Moreno (May 12, 1930 - February 1, 2007) was a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Moreno's most important win for Harry F. Guggenheim's stable came in the 1953 Kentucky Derby when he rode Dark Star to victory over future the Hal ...

, finished fourth, and Flying Fury, winner of the Champagne Stakes, ridden by

Conn McCreary Conn N. McCreary (June 17, 1921 - June 29, 1979) was a United States Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing who won four American Classic Races. Riding career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Conn McCreary began his professiona ...

, ran sixth. He had previously trained Milton Shagrin's Shag Tails, ridden by John Nazareth, to finish thirteenth in 1952. Gentry also won the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

and the

Beldame Stakes The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and curr ...

with

Lalun Lalun (1952 – 1977) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and successful broodmare. Owned and bred by Harry Frank Guggenheim, Harry Guggenheim, she was trained by Loyd Gentry, Jr. and under jockey Henry Moreno notably won the 19 ...

in 1955. In 1964, he sent out the two-year-old Umbrella Fella to win four races including the

Breeders' Futurity Stakes The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $600,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run ...

Darby Dan Farm trainer

In 1965, Gentry became trainer to John W. Galbreath's

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath ...

. The move forced him to give up training a promising two-year-old named

Kauai King Kauai King (April 3, 1963 – January 24, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse was foaled on April 3, 1963, at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland. His sire was Native Dancer and his dam was Sweep In. In 1966, Kauai King won ...

who went on to win the following year's Derby. In 1966, Gentry trained Darby Dan Farm's

Graustark Graustark is a fictional country in Eastern Europe used as a setting for several novels by George Barr McCutcheon. Graustark's neighbors, which also figure in the stories, are Axphain to the north and Dawsbergen to the south. Description Gra ...

, winner of the 1965 Arch Ward Stakes at

Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...

and the 1966

Bahamas Stakes The Bahamas Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in January at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. A seven furlong race on dirt, it was the first important test of the calendar year for newly turned three-year-olds. ...

Hialeah Park The Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as the Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park) is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East ...

. After

Buckpasser Buckpasser (1963– March 6, 1978) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a ...

suffered a quarter crack, Graustark became widely favored to win the Kentucky Derby that year. Because Graustark had never raced over 7

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...

, it was decided, in spite of a slightly infected left front hoof, to run him in the 9 furlong

as a prep for the 1966 Kentucky Derby. Graustark was beaten by a nose by Abe's Hope after suffering a career-ending injury. Gentry Jr. trained the 1967

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

winner, Darby Dan Farm's,

, ridden by

Bobby Ussery Robert Nelson Ussery (September 3, 1935 – November 16, 2023) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, hall of fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in ...

. Proud Clarion finished third in the 1967 Preakness, behind

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and

In Reality In Reality (March 1, 1964 – May 8, 1989) was an American bred racehorse. Bred in Florida, he was a son of Intentionally and out of the mare My Dear Girl, the 1959 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. His damsire was Santa Anita Derby winner R ...

Later career

Gentry won a second Kentucky Oaks with Hail to Patsy in 1969 and the

Forerunner Stakes The Forerunner Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1950 through 2007 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it was last contested on turf over a distance of one and one-eighth m ...

with Supreme Quality in 1970. He continued to train horses until his death on July 1, 2012, at

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentry Jr. 1925 births 2012 deaths United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II American racehorse trainers Sportspeople from Covington, Kentucky