Ronald L. McAnally (born July 11, 1932, in Covington,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

) is an American

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 ...

trainer in

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 ...

. Called "one of the most honored and respected of

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n trainers" by Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc, as a child, he and his four siblings were placed in an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

following the death of their mother. As an adult, he regularly donates funds to the Covington Protestant Children's Home where he was raised. After high school, McAnally fulfilled his mandatory military service with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and attended the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

for two years, studying

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. He began his career in horse racing working at

Rockingham Park Rockingham Park was a horse racing establishment in Salem, New Hampshire, in the United States. Notable horses to run at Rockingham Park included Seabiscuit, who raced there in 1935 and 1936,''Daily Racing Form'' staff (2005). ''Champions: The ...

racetrack in

Salem, New Hampshire Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 30,089 at the 2020 census and an estimated 30,647 in 2022. Salem is a northern suburb of Boston located on Interstate 93. As the first town along I-93 north ...

for his uncle, trainer

Reggie Cornell Reginald "Reggie" Cornell (August 1, 1922 - February 21, 1979) was a Thoroughbred horse racing trainer who competed in his native Canada before working for many years in the United States. Born in Oakville, Ontario, Reggie Cornell grew up in Nia ...

. As a licensed trainer working at

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racetracks, in 1958 he got his first win 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 ...

and in 1960 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 ...

he got the first of his more than 2,000

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wins. He is noted, perhaps because of his childhood experiences, for patiently looking after horses with unique quirks such as the one-eyed Cassaleria, and the tail-less Sea Cadet. As well, he conditioned Silver Ending, a "worthless" horse bought for $1,500 who under McAnally's care won a number of stakes races including the

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...

and the then GI Pegasus Handicap. In the early 1980s Ron McAnally along with co trainer VJ “Lefty” Nickerson, gained considerable national recognition as the trainer of

John Henry John Henry most commonly refers to: *John Henry (folklore) John Henry may also refer to: People Artists and entertainers * John Henry (actor) (1738–1794), Irish and early American actor *Seán Ó hEinirí (1915–1998), known in English as John ...

, the two-time United States Horse of the Year and the first of three Hall of Fame horses he would train. John Henry came under McAnally's care at age four having earned $239,613. For McAnally he won 27 of his 45 races and earned $6,358,334. Other Hall of Fame horses McAnally trained were

Bayakoa Bayakoa (October 10, 1984 – June 14, 1997) was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse bred in Argentina. After racing successfully in that country, Bayakoa was sold to Janis and Frank Whitham and subsequently raced in the United States, mainly in C ...

, who won back-to-back

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, three years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United Stat ...

s in 1989 and 1990 and was voted the

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

both years. Two years later, he conditioned his third Hall of Famer, another filly named

Paseana Paseana (August 23, 1987 – June 21, 2006) was an Argentine-bred Thoroughbred racemare who competed very successfully in Argentina and in the United States, where she won 10 Grade 1 races. She received two Eclipse Awards and was also elected t ...

who also won the Breeders' Cup Distaff in 1992 and who too was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse Eclipse for two years running. McAnally's best result in the

American Classic Races In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...

was a fourth in the 1980 and 1982

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 ...

, a fourth in the 1989

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 fifth-place finish in the 1989

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 ...

. Personal honors include the

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for trainers. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually. Its Canadian counterpart is the Sovereign Award for Outstandi ...

three times and induction in the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

. Married with three daughters, the McAnally family make their home in

Tarzana, California Tarzana () is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan. His ...

References

Thoroughbred Times article on Ron McAnally

Ron McAnally at the NTRA

Ron McAnally at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAnally, Ron American racehorse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Covington, Kentucky 1932 births Living people People from Tarzana, Los Angeles Eclipse Award winners University of Cincinnati alumni