Brereton C. Jones has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Club of America as the 2019 Honor Guest, Club President Katherine LaMonica announced Friday. Jones will be honored by the Club at its 88th Testimonial Dinner at Keeneland Race Course Sept. 27.
“The Thoroughbred Club of America is excited to name Brereton C. Jones as our 2019 Honor Guest,” said LaMonica. “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.”
Jones, who was born June 27, 1939 and raised in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Jones attended the University of Virginia on a football scholarship before graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and returned home to West Virginia. Later, Jones decided to run for public office and became a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. Two years later, he was chosen as the youngest Minority Leader in state history. Jones, who moved to Kentucky in the early 1970s after marrying Elizabeth (Libby) Lloyd, established Airdrie Stud. He was elected Governor of Kentucky from 1991-1995 and Lt. Governor from 1987-1991. The Joneses have two children–Lucy and Bret, who is married to Tyler Bell Jones–along with three grandchildren; “B”, Jack and Thomas.
Jones is a founding member of the Breeders' Cup and KEEP (Kentucky Equine Education Project) and currently serves as a Member of the Jockey Club. In 2008 Jones was the recipient of the Warner L. Jones Horseman of the Year Award for outstanding service to the Thoroughbred industry. He was also instrumental in the formation of the KBIF (Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Fund). To date, Airdrie Stud has bred over 150 stakes winners and has campaigned over 20 Grade I winners, while Jones' racing exploits include victories in the 2015 GI Kentucky Oaks with Lovely Maria, the 2012 GI Kentucky Oaks with Believe You Can and the 2008 GI Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell. The last named filly also won the GI Alabama S. and earned an Eclipse Award for the Outstanding Three-Year-Old filly in America.
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