Jon S. Kelly © Benoit Photo

JON S. KELLY, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN, HORSEMAN DIES AT 84

Jon S. Kelly, a native Californian who conquered many business worlds and found a passionate love in horse racing, died this morning at his farm known as Tres Palomas in Rancho Santa Fe from the effects of a cancer he’d fought for several years. He had turned 84 yesterday.

Kelly had been in hospice care and had family members on hand, including his wife Sarah, when he passed.

Kelly was born in Berkeley, was schooled in the east and at UC Berkeley and showed an affinity for business early on in his professional career. He went into the broadcasting business, established the Kelly Broadcasting Company and wound up owning and operating TV stations in Sacramento and Seattle. Additionally, he founded and ran the Summit Broadcasting Radio Company.

He was also a banker who founded the River City Bank in Sacramento. Further, he was a highly successful real estate executive with multiple projects in Northern California.

Besides his family, his great love in life was Thoroughbred racing and he’d been a horse owner since the early 1960s. Over the years he’d raced hundreds of horses around the world in England, Ireland, Australia and the United States. His best horse was Borrego, now a stallion in South America and the winner of the 2005 edition of Del Mar’s $1-million Pacific Classic.

Kelly had been a member of the board of directors of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club since 2008. He was also a member of The Jockey Club. His trainers included Bob Baffert and Richard Mandella in the U.S., Gai Waterhouse in Australia and Jessie Harrington in Ireland. In 2018, he headed a syndicate that purchased a yearling colt at the famed Magic Millions Sale in Australia for a near-record $2 million.

He was on multiple business boards of directors and guided and funded many other charity-oriented groups. He was an official with Big Brothers of America and the Boy Scouts of America.

“He was quite a guy,” said Dr. Greg Ferraro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board and a longtime Kelly friend. “He could make anyone laugh. He always lifted your spirits.”

Ferraro told of business associates Kelly had worked with 30 and 40 years ago writing him letters recently sending thanks for his council and guidance and how it had shaped their careers and lives. He spoke personally of Kelly sending him to a Louisville hospital for a life-saving operation, then make a huge donation to the hospital in Ferraro’s name.

“He didn’t make it in his name, which he should have,” said Ferraro, “but that was Jon. He did so many good things for so many people and he never bragged or looked for credit. He just was a good person who did good things. He was special.”

He is survived by his wife and six children, as well as many grandchildren.

Those wishing to make a donation in his name are encouraged to do so at two of his favorite projects – the Center for Equine Health at the UC Davis School for Veterinary Medicine or the Gregson Foundation, which services backstretch workers and their families.

At his request, there will be no services.

AGING WELL, UNITED AND SHARP SAMURAI VIE IN EDDIE READ

Classy geldings are to racing what perennials are to horticulture – a source of  interest and fascination that isn’t fleeting.

United and Sharp Samurai are among four runners who fall into that category in a field of seven that make for an intriguing 47^th running of the Grade II, $200,000 Eddie Read Stakes on Sunday. They may be fleet, but their presence in the highest levels of competition has not been fleeting.

United, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella for L N J Foxwoods stables, is the 8-5 morning line favorite and appears to be at peak form at the age of 5 in a career of more than $1.1 million in earnings. All but around $30,000 of that was racked up in the last 18 months.

United has had three works at Del Mar, among them a bullet :58.80 on July 11, best of 88 at the distance that morning.

“I don’t think he could be doing any better,” Mandella said Saturday morning. “He’s in great shape, he’s training very well and he’s ready to go.”

The son of Giant’s Causeway ended an eight-race 2019 campaign with a runner-up finish in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf, tagged at the end by eventual Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar in November, then a neck loss in the Hollywood Turf Cup here in December.

He’s 2-for-2 in 2020 with scores in the Grade II San Marcos in February and Grade II Charles Whittingham in May at Santa Anita. Generally placed mid-pack in the early going, United showed a somewhat new dimension in sitting just off the pace before moving to the lead and holding on gamely in the Whittingham.

“It will depend on how fast they go (early), where we want to be,” Mandella said. “I haven’t looked at the race to figure out anything yet, but that’s what we usually do.”

Sharp Samurai could be considered the horse that established trainer Mark Glatt, who had distinguished himself on the Washington state and Northern California circuits, as a major player in Southern California.

“I’ve had a lot of nice horses prior to him, but he’s made the most money. He sure helped,” Glatt said this morning.

The 6-year-old son of First Samurai has eight wins in 19 career starts and earnings of $841,270 for owners Red Baron’s Barn or Rancho Temescal. He’ll be competing in his third straight Eddie Read, having finished second, beaten a neck by Catapult in 2018 and fourth, 2 ½ lengths behind Bowie’s Hero, last year.

Glatt gave serious consideration to Saturday’s San Diego Handicap on dirt, but opted to stay with Sharp Samurai’s proven preference for turf and avoid Maximum Security.

“If Maximum Security hadn’t been in there, we’d be running today,” Glatt said. “We’re interested in seeing him on the dirt. He trains well over it. As a 3-year-old all the races were on grass and he ran good enough every time so we stayed on it.

“But now that he’s getting a little older, maybe he doesn’t have the same acceleration on grass as he did and maybe dirt will be better for him in this stage of  his career. We’ll see what happens (in the Read).”

The field from the rail: Bowie’s Hero (Tiago Pereira, 4-1); Originaire (Umberto Rispoli, 9-2); Sharp Samuai (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Combatant (Jorge Velez, 12-1); Cleopatra’s Strike (Abel Cedillo, 8-1); Neptune’s Storm (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1), and United (Flavien Prat).

KENTUCKY DERBY HOPEFULS WORK FOR SATURDAY’S SHARED BELIEF

Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A.P. led a group of talented 3-year-olds, several with Kentucky Derby potential, in workouts Saturday morning at Del Mar. Honor A.P. and two Bob Baffert trainees, Cezanne and Thousand Words, were undergoing their final major exercise for next Saturday’s $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes, which has qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

The COVID-19 outbreak forced the Run for the Roses to be rescheduled from its traditional first Saturday in May spot to the first Saturday in September.

Honor A.P., trained by John Shirreffs for the C R K Stable of Lee and Susan Searing, went after the second track renovation break, arriving around 8 a.m.  under exercise rider Francisco Alvarado. The son of Honor Code worked with 4-year-old winner Takeo, spotting his stablemate a four-length head start before drawing even at the head of the stretch and pulling away.

Del Mar clockers had Honor A.P. with interim fractions of :24.80, :36.60, and an official five-eighths in 1:01.20 while galloping out to six furlongs in 1:14.20.

“From my angle he went 11 (seconds) and change or 12 the last eighth,” Shirreffs commented via text. “The work was practice.”

Unbeaten (2-for-2) Cezanne and Thousand Words, winner of the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity in December and Grade III Robert B. Lewis in February, worked side-by-side for six furlongs in 1:13.80.

Hollywood Gold Cup winner Improbable, being targeted for the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga a week away, was clocked in 1:25.80 in a work slightly compromised when another horse ran loose and alarm sirens were sounded.     

“The track I think is a little slow today, but I’m pleased with all of them,” Baffert said. “The loose horse screwed up Improbable’s work, but he’ll be all right.”

EASY WAY TO ORDER PHOTOS FROM ANY DEL MAR RACE THIS SUMMER

For anyone wanting to order photos from any race run at Del Mar this summer, there’s an easy way to go. Track photographer Benoit Photo has it all set up for you at this website: www.benoitphoto.com/store

You can view photos there and order them right on the spot. Race photos are uploaded to the site shortly after each race is run.

Del Mar’s meet runs from July 10 to September 7.

CLOSERS – Chris Fallica, the ESPN College GameDay personality known as “The Bear,” is the Saturday Celebrity Handicapper who takes on Ray Paulick today in the Beat Ray Everyday handicapping contest. The free online contest is offered every racing day with prizes awarded at the end of the meeting. Check it out at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club website … A four-win return to riding at Del Mar on Friday, including a sweep of the Fleet Treat Stakes and Daisycutter Handicap, vaulted defending riding champion Flavien Prat from a tie for ninth to a tie for second in the standings four days into the meeting. Umberto Rispoli, with one win Friday, leads with eight victories. Abel Cedillo took Friday’s nightcap to tie Prat with five wins each.

Del Mar Statistics

Presented by Torrey Hollistics

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Sunday, July 24, 2020 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Sunday, July  24, 2020 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Sunday, July 24, 2020 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 9 out of 41 -- 21.95%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 4 out of 22 -- 18.18%
Winning favorites on turf -- 5 out of 19 -- 26.32%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 2 -- 50.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 25 out of 41 -- 60.98%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 2 out of 2 -- 100.00%