Challenor Jones, MBE, one of?Barbados’ most popular and celebrated horsemen, will say goodbye to the sport with a disposal auction from 4 p.m. today at his historic Blue Ribbon Stud Farm, which has been in existence for 30 years, at Neil’s, St Michael.
Chally, as he is affectionately called, has been involved with the sport of kings for six decades and has functioned successfully in various roles ranging from groom in 1954 to jockey, owner, breeder and trainer.
As a breeder, Jones’ horses won 342 races, highlighted by two Gold Cup and three derby triumphs. As a jockey he won 470 races, including 11 derby wins. He also landed 380 races as a trainer with two Gold Cup and five derby victories.
In an interview with SATURDAY?SPORT, Jones lamented that horse racing had taken on some drastic changes over the years and the sport was no longer what it used to be, causing him to lose all interest in every aspect.
“I’ve enjoyed the support of my family along the way. My wife Diana was also an owner and a breeder. My first son Douglas Jones, as a jockey, won races here and in Trinidad and Tobago and, of course, Jonathon Jones, who retired from the steel a few years ago,” he said.
Chally got into breeding with a mare called Delia that he acquired in 1975 and it was a successful voyage. Together he and Guadeloupean-based breeder Jean Louis Beuzelin formed a formidable partnership using broodmares like Nobel Horse, Nosferatu, Balage, Gage D’Amour and Pampolina.
History will show that the partnership really flourished when the combination of Nosferatu and Balage produced Incitatus, who not only won the Barbados Triple Crown in 1996 and the Sandy Lane Gold Cup in 1997 but went on to win stakes and graded races at Woodbine, Canada’s leading racetrack.
Incitatus also landed the Connaught Cup Stakes followed by the King Edward Breeders Cup Handicap, both Grade II races, for different owners.
Incitatus’ Gold Cup win was followed by Federico’s triumph in 1998 as Jones etched his name in history by becoming the first local trainer and breeder to win the Gold Cup with Barbadian-bred horses.
Other stars were Jafetica, Sugar N Spice and three derby winners Paddy Bird (1986), Overdraft (1991) and Zarmela (1994). Spearheading his stallion list were Perfect Host, Nosferatu, Encino, Paddyogan and St Hubert, who produced Jafetica and Seeing Red.
There was also Koo, who produced Bonnie Blue Flag, Royal Blues, Return To Sender, Encino Girl and Guest Of Honour.
Broodmares that kept the Blue Ribbon flag afloat were Bossa Nova, dam of Triple Crown winner Areutalkintome (2009), Catalina, Love Bird, So Rare, Kate O’Connor and Judy Pick Pocket.
Members of the racing fraternity will have a selection of stallions, broodmares, yearlings and weanlings to choose from today when they come under the hammer of auctioneer Jonathon Simpson as Jones closes the stable gate for the last time.
