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| Brereton and Bret Jones (Photo by Anne M. Eberhardt) |
"Governor Jones' commitment and success in the Thoroughbred industry, along with the state of Kentucky, make him a deserving recipient of the Honor Guest award," TCA President Katherine LaMonica said in a news release.
Jones, 80, was governor in 1991-95. He served as a Republican in the state legislature in his native West Virginia, then moved to Kentucky and became a Democrat in 1975 when he married Elizabeth "Libby" Lloyd. With their son Bret, they operate Airdrie Stud, which has bred more than 150 stakes winners (including more than 20 Grade I winners) and earners of nearly $100 million.
In recent years, the Joneses have raced more, and they and trainer Larry Jones (no relation) won the Kentucky Oaks in 2015 with Lovely Maria, in 2012 with Believe You Can and in 2008 with Proud Spell, who also won the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga and earned an Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding three-year-filly.
As governor, Jones was instrumental in creation of the Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Fund, which uses sales tax from Kentucky stallions as awards to benefit all types of Kentucky-bred horses. He is a founding member of the Breeders' Cup and the Kentucky Equine Education Project. In 2008 he received the Warner L. Jones Horseman of the Year Award for outstanding service to the industry.
The TCA Testimonial Dinner was begun in 1932, the year the club was founded, to recognize distinguished contributions of leadership and success in the industry. Winners include owners Alice Chandler and Josephine Abercrombie, three generations of the Hancock family of Claiborne Farm, trainer Shug McGaughey, jockey Chris McCarron, and retired Keeneland Association president Ted Bassett, the Joneses' closest neighbor on Old Frankfort Pike.
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