Death of Airdrie Stud founder and Kentucky politician Brereton Jones aged 84

Brereton C Jones, master of Airdrie Stud near Midway and a former governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, died on Monday following a lengthy illness. He was 84.

In both the horse business and politics, Jones was a maverick, an individualist who did things in his own way, with a long list of accomplishments in both fields. He shaped the industry, especially in Kentucky, on several fronts and in his various roles.

Jones and his wife, Libby, started Airdrie Stud on 350 acres in 1970. Through boundless energy and a driven work ethic, Jones increased the size of the farm along Old Frankfort Pike to its current size of more than 2,500 acres. As a horseman he is best known for his affinity for fillies and mares. Jones won the Kentucky Oaks three times. Homebreds Proud Spell and Believe You Can captured the Oaks in 2008 and 2012, respectively, and Lovely Maria, sired by former Airdrie stallion Majesticperfection, won in 2015.

Jones carved his own path with his broodmares. He kept a far larger band of mares than many of his contemporaries - nearly 200.

"I love going to the breeding stock sales and sitting up close and making split-second decisions. I buy a lot of mares that way," Jones said in a 2004 interview with BloodHorse. "I enjoy playing the numbers game, and I love the free - enterprise system. I'd be bored to tears if I only had ten mares, even if all of them were stakes producers."

Jones planned all his matings, not because he felt the most qualified to, but because of the fun and pleasure it gave him. Jones also took pride in standing stallions that were affordable to breeders, and he enjoyed success with sires such as Silver Hawk, Harlan's Holiday, Indian Charlie, Include , Creative Cause, Cairo Prince and Girvin.

In recent years, Jones handed most of the duties of running Airdrie to his son Bret, who serves on numerous boards across the industry and has learned well from his father. Brereton Jones is also survived by a daughter, Lucy.

Lovely Maria provided Brereton Jones with one of his Kentucky Oaks winners in 2015Credit: Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos

Brereton Jones was born in Ohio but grew up in West Virginia, the son of a state senator there. Jones was raised on a dairy farm near Point Pleasant, where he rode horses and embraced the cowboy culture. Early on, he also had a strange premonition about his future."As a child, when people asked me what I was going to be when I grew up, I'd say, 'I'm going to raise horses in Kentucky.' And people couldn't understand where I got that crazy idea. It was just something I was born with, I guess, because I loved horses and Kentucky was the horse capital of the world."

First, though, Jones followed his father into politics, becoming the youngest member at the time to ever serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Notably, he was a Republican at the time.

Once he followed his dream to Kentucky, Jones leased acreage from Libby's father to start his farm, but soon began to buy nearby tracts that he would pull together to form Airdire. Said Jones, "The male ego, being what it is, made me not want to be living on someone else's land."

Jones was a member of the state board of agriculture in the early 1980s, then ran for lieutenant governor of Kentucky in 1987. Sensing the prevailing winds in the Commonwealth at the time, Jones became a Democrat and was elected.

Once in Frankfort, Jones realised that the horse industry, for all its economic impact in the state, had a weak lobbying presence due to infighting among representatives of the various breeds, as well as divisions within the thoroughbred industry. Having a stake in the horse business, Jones felt he could accomplish the most for it as governor, and was elected to that post in 1991.

Jones made no bones about his intent to help the state's horse industry, opening himself up to charges of conflicts of interest. But he charged ahead.

"Any governor who won't fight to save 80,000 jobs should be impeached," he said about helping the horse business. 

He implemented breeder and stallion awards programs, setting up off-track betting facilities to help fund them. He took particular pride in turning a $400 million budget deficit when he took office into a $300 million surplus by the time he left office four years later.

"We just used a common sense approach to government," he explained. "That's why people respected the administration."

After leaving office, Jones was the driving force in establishing the Kentucky Equine Education Project, to help sell the horse industry to Kentuckians and educate them on the importance of supporting it statewide. He served as chairman of KEEP's board of directors from its formation in 2004 until 2011. 

In a statement, KEEP stated: "Governor Jones worked tirelessly to promote Kentucky's horse industry. His dedication led to critical policy changes and initiatives that directly benefited horse owners, breeders, trainers, and enthusiasts across the state."

Added current KEEP chairman Case Clay: "He was a true champion for Kentucky's horse industry. His legacy will forever be felt in our organisation and throughout the entire equine community."

Current Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called Jones "a dedicated leader and a distinguished thoroughbred owner who worked to strengthen Kentucky for our families."

Among Jones' significant horses bred are champion Caressing, By Land By Sea, Imp Society, Cash Included, Check the Label, Commanding Fashion, Zandon, Tarlow, Faiza and Classic Elegance. Jones bred or co-bred more than 30 Grade 1 winners.

For all the latest bloodstock and racing news from North America, visit Bloodhorse