Moody S. Jolley (March 23, 1910 – February 4, 1976) was an American

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

owner, breeder and trainer. His son, LeRoy, trained Ridan and other horses owned by the family.

Career

He began his professional training career in the mid-1930s and by 1940 had his first

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 ...

runner. For several years, he trained for Harry Guggenheim's

Cain Hoy Stable Cain Hoy Stable was a Thoroughbred racing stable and horse breeding operation with training facilities in Columbia, South Carolina, and Kissimmee, Florida. It was owned by Harry Guggenheim, who also raced horses in Europe. A founding member of t ...

. After their partnership ended in November 1952. Jolley would soon join Bull Hancock's renowned

Claiborne Farm Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...

where he conditioned the great

Round Table The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...

before the colt was sold. Six horses trained by Moody Jolley ran in the American Classics with his best result a sixth in the 1951 Kentucky Derby, a third in the 1959

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

and a third in the 1951

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

. The most famous horse Moody Jolley and his wife owned was Ridan, a strong-headed colt purchased as a yearling and owned in partnership with Ernest Woods and John L. Greer. In 1962 Ridan won the

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...

and

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 ...

and equaled the world record for five

furlong 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 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s in a near effortless early-morning workout. The Jolleys also owned multiple

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...

winner Nearly On Time whose wins included the 1976

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses four years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

Death and legacy

Moody Jolley was living in

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in Miami-Da ...

at the time of his death in 1976. As well, in an illustrious career LeRoy Jolley trained for other prominent owners and was inducted in the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame in 1987.

References

*Mitchell, Frank J. ''Great Breeders and Their Methods: The Hancocks'' (2006) Russell Meerdink Co. Ltd. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jolley Moody 1910 births 1976 deaths American racehorse trainers People from Tennessee People from Hialeah, Florida