The Jones Legacy Lives On Beneath The Twin Spires

[Wandering Eyes]

As you review the entries for the marquee races this weekend at Churchill Downs, namely the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on Friday and the GI Kentucky Derby on Saturday, you'll notice a common name listed among the connections: Brereton C. Jones.

Though many outside of the Thoroughbred industry will recognize the name as that of the former governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, for those within it, it's one that evokes immense pride and gratitude for a man who was a true stalwart of the sport.

Sadly, Brereton–the founder and master of Airdrie Stud alongside his wife, Libby–passed away Sept. 18, 2023 at the age of 84 following a lengthy illness. But his legacy, one he curated through years of intuitive breeding decisions amongst a standout broodmare band, lives on through his son, Bret Jones, and his family.

This weekend, Airdrie Stud is proudly represented by three Classic contenders in the form of Kentucky Derby entrants Publisher (American Pharoah), bred and co-owned by the Estate of Brereton C. Jones, and Chunk of Gold (Preservationist), bred by Brereton C. Jones; and Kentucky Oaks contender Fondly (Upstart), also bred by Brereton C. Jones.

Publisher (right) stretches his legs at Churchill | Sara Gordon

All raised together on the farm in Midway, Ky., as part of the same foal crop in 2022, each Airdrie-bred was sold as a yearling: Publisher for $600,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Fondly for $50,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, and Chunk of Gold for $2,500, also at the Kentucky Fall Sale.

When it comes to the colts, Bret acknowledges the two opposite ends of the spectrum they represent.

“Publisher was a very obvious horse from the day he was born. Just a beautiful foal. We really thought, honestly, he was as good a yearling as we had ever raised, or certainly as long as [General Manager] Ben [Hanley] and I have been around. That's why we took him to Saratoga, which we hadn't done in about 50 years, because we just thought he was deserving of that sort of marketing and thought it would be a way to show the farm was trying a few different things,” said Jones. “Ron Moquett loved the colt and bought him on behalf of Gus King, and we pretty much begged to stay in for a piece because we really thought he had a chance to be very special. Gus was very kind and let us partner with him.

“At the other end of the spectrum is Chunk of Gold, who literally spent two days trying to climb out of his stall at the Fasig-Tipton October Sale. He was tough. I feel like with horses like that, it can go one of two ways: they won't be able to handle training at all or they'll be such tough, competitive horses that they'll want to go out there and beat your backside. And I'm thankful [the latter] that seems to be the horse that he is.”

Though Bret is immensely proud of all of Airdrie's connections amongst the Kentucky Derby weekend entries, there is a special place in his heart for Publisher as he is the first foal out of the farm's star mare, Indian Pride (Proud Citizen).

Earning a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut for trainer Chad Brown in the summer of 2019 as a 3-year-old, she went on to finish third in the GII Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland that fall, before returning as a 4-year-old to dominate an allowance at Belmont Park and later securing her first stakes victory in Saratoga's Shine Again Stakes.

Despite her career being cut short due to a bout of colic while training up to the 2020 GI Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga, which led to her retirement after four starts, Indian Pride had more than proven the high caliber of racehorse that she was.

“I really do think that Indian Pride was as talented as any horse that we ever put in training. She didn't get to fully show it because she got very sick as a 2-year-old and then got sick again as a 3-year-old. At the time, you're devastated when you can't make a race like [the Ballerina] because I really think she was deserving to be a Grade I winner,” said Jones.

Chunk of Gold with Ethan West | Sara Gordon

“Her dam, Ms. Cornstalk, got us two champions in Canada in Biofuel and Tu Endie Wei. That family goes way back with dad. When I was just a kid, I can remember Dansil running in the [1989] Kentucky Derby and he was a horse that dad had bred from that family. Hopefully we continue to add to what's already a pretty special page for us.”

When it comes to Publisher, the colt actually represents Airdrie on both sides of the pedigree as a son of American Pharoah, whose dam Littleprincessemma (Yankee Gentleman) was bred and sold by Airdrie.

For Bret, the pairing of Indian Pride with the 2015 Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year was a no-brainer.

“We are a very simple people. The thinking [behind that] was breed the most talented horse that we've ever raced to the most talented horse we've ever seen. We thought she was the right type to take to Pharoah. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it sure worked with him because he's an absolutely beautiful colt.”

Publisher has yet to break his maiden in seven tries, but has certainly shown the wherewithal to do so at the highest level. He's shown improvement in each start this season, most recently finishing a valiant second-place finish to Sandman (Tapit) in the March 29 GI Arkansas Derby.

“[Steve] told us early on, 'Look, this is a very talented horse but he's really got to strengthen up right now. He's just a little bit physically immature, so we're not going to push him too hard,' with the thought we could have a very good 3-year-old. Obviously, that progression has worked out just as Steve thought that it could. His last race was his best race and hopefully his next race is even better,” said Jones.

Indian Pride, the dam of Publisher; Play for Gold (Cairo Prince), the dam of Chunk of Gold; and Lifetime Memory (Istan), the dam of Fondly, all represent generations upon generations of families handcrafted by Bret's father. Though all three of their Classic contenders sold for a range of prices as yearlings, Bret sees those sale results serve as a testament to what Airdrie does best: breeding a quality horse for clients at every level to find and enjoy success with on the track.

“[Multiple graded stakes winner] My Boy Jack is from Chunk of Gold's family. We sold him to Keith Desormeaux, who always does great buying inexpensive horses from us and doing exceptional things with them. I think he was a $20,000 yearling, and Chunk of Gold was a $2,500 yearling, so cumulatively $22,500 will get you two spots in the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby,” said Jones.

Fondly works for her big day in the Oaks | Sara Gordon

And when it comes to the Kentucky Derby, there's something to be said for the smile that alights Bret's face when he talks about Mage (Good Magic), winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby, who joined Airdrie's stallion roster last season and has first foals on the ground this year.

“That was a big deal for the farm. We had never stood a Kentucky Derby winner and we signed the deal for Mage the day after dad passed, so there was pretty amazing timing involved in all of that. The hope is that he can be an important one around here for a long time,” said Jones.

Riding alongside Bret as he drives through Airdrie's main farm and the sister properties throughout Versailles while visiting the horses that graze upon the storied pastures, it's as if you're physically thumbing through each chapter of the poignant story that Brereton authored himself over the decades. And when it comes to the continuation of Airdrie's story, it's clear that there's no one more fitting than Brereton's son to hold that pen and put it to paper.

“I think about dad every day and I will be thinking about him even more on that first Saturday in May. Watching his grandkids that the walk over will be very emotional, but that's the amazing thing about horse racing. Horse racing in itself is incredible, but when you can share it with the people you love, that is what makes it the greatest in the world.”

When the connections make the walk over to the Churchill Downs paddock ahead of Saturday's featured race, as the Jones family accompanies their contender Publisher, there is no doubt that Brereton will be there with them too.

The post The Jones Legacy Lives On Beneath The Twin Spires appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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