Trainer Larry Jones
Born: 09/02/56, Hopkinsville, Kentucky Resides: Hendersonville, Kentucky Family: Cindy, wife; Amanda and Wendy, daughters; Michael and Wesley, sons
In recent years at Oaklawn few stables have moved forward with the success as has the barn of J. Larry Jones. The latter had some 40 horses here in 2007, his barn headed by Hard Spun, among the nation’s best three-year-olds.
At the Spa in 2007, Jones won the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes with Gasia.
Jones finished fourth on the 2007 trainer standings at Oaklawn. He had 16 winners from 94 starters as his barn earned $$606,640.
By early November 2007, his stable had already earned $5.7 million on a national level. Hard Spun won the Grade I King Bishop Stakes at Saratoga and finished second in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth.
Before Hard Spun came along, the bulk of Jones’ success had been obtained with fillies.
“I never dreamed we would have the year we had in 2007. That $5.7 million in purses in a year is something I’d always considered beyond me,” said Jones, who has 40 horses here for the 2008 Oaklawn meeting.
In 2006 at Oaklawn, Jones sent out Wildcat Bettie B. and Gasia to finish first and third in the $50,000 Dixie Belle, then Gasia to capture the $100,000 Instant Racing Breeders’ Cup.
At the 2006 Spa meeting, Jones finished fourth in the overall trainer standings to Cole Norman, Steve Asmussen and Robert Holthus. From 62 starters, his stable fielded 12 winners, 13 seconds and 3 thirds.
In May 2006, at Belmont Park, Jones sent out Hello Liberty to win the $205,600 Nassau County Breeders’ Cup Stakes. In her previous start, the three-year-old filly won the Peach Blossom Stakes at Delaware Park.
“Hello Liberty is from the first crop of Forest Camp,” Jones mentions. “I really felt that the mares bred so close to Mr. Prospector would cross well with Forest Camp. We bought Hello Liberty as a yearling, getting her at Keeneland for $75,000.”
In 2005 the Jones-trained Island Sand won the $1,000,000 Delaware Oaks.
His barn once had Josh’s Madelyn, a major stakes winner, now retired. In 2004 Island Sand, who raced for Jim Osborne of Little Rock, won the Grade I Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park.
Island Sand was retired after making more than $1.1 million.
Earlier, Jones had Ruby’s Reception and Don’tcountessout. Ruby’s Reception won the 2003 Fantasy Stakes during Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South.
Jones won the 2000 Althea Stakes here with Endless Parade, a filly who went undefeated in a career cut short by injury.
Inevitably, Jones is asked why his top horses are usually fillies.
“Some of my owners are breeders. Others like the residual situation. If a filly goes wrong, you still have her as a broodmare prospect. It has gotten so nice that when I go to sales, I sometimes don’t even look at colts. I spend my time on fillies. I only must check out half of the horses consigned,” he explained.
Larry and wife Cindy work together at the barn. He came into racing in 1980, then took out a trainer’s license two years later.He won his first stakes race in 1986, that coming at Ellis Park with Capt. Bold.
Inevitably Jones wears a cowboy hat.
“I guess the hat is my signature,” he commented. “My father and grandfather farmed and ranched. I loved doing anything that involved horses. I could round up cattle; one, or a group. The hat became a part of the job. I got into matching horses at an early age, and then progressed to racing. I had no idea racing would take me this far. I’m grateful.”
The numbers show that Larry Jones is an exceedingly successful trainer. And he has found it relatively easy to train the likes of Hard Spun, Gasia, Island Sand, Ruby’s Reception, Josh’s Madelyn and Endless Parade.
“They have always given their best. The hard part of the training job is getting lesser horses to do that,” Jones said.