J.V. Shields, Jr. died peacefully in his sleep Oct. 10 in Thomasville, GA, at the age of 80 with his wife of 30 years, Maury, at his side. Shields had a Wall Street career spanning 56 years and with his brother, David, founded Shields & Company in 1982, which merged into Wellington Shields & Co. in 2009. He also served as Trustee of the Boys Club of New York (1990-2018), Director and Vice Chairman of the New York Racing Association (1993-2008), Breeders' Cup Director (2001-2008), Trustee of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and a member of The Jockey Club.
Shields always had a passion for horses. He played polo as a teenager in Long Island, started the first polo team as an undergraduate of Georgetown University and continued to play at Meadowbrook in Long Island, where he met competitive and formidable player H. Allen Jerkens.
In 1982, when his polo days concluded, Shields turned his interest to breeding and racing Thoroughbreds, primarily using his old friend, Allen Jerkens, and later his son, Jimmy Jerkens to train for him. In his 36-year racing career, he bred 14 stakes winners, but the one that continued to give him the greatest thrill was his homebred, Wagon Limit, who beat Skip Away to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 1998. He loved walking the backstretch scratching noses and always seemed to have a pocket full of carrots.
Shields is survived by his beloved wife, Maury, his brother and business partner of 36 years, David, his sister, Helen Guest, as well as 12 nieces and nephews, and nine greatnieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to The Community Foundation of South Georgia Disaster Relief Fund. You may donate by mailing a check to Community Foundation of South Georgia, P.O. Box 2654, Thomasville, GA 31799 or make a donation online at https://www.cfsga.net/donations.htm.
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