Adams, top jump rider, dead

Frank D. "Dooley" Adams, a Hall of Fame steeplechase jockey, died Friday in his hometown of Southern Pines, N.C. He was 77 years old.

Adams won 301 steeplechase races and earned seven National Steeplechase Association championships during a career that lasted from 1941 through 1956. He also rode 36 winners on the flat. In 1954, Adams won 38 jump races, a record at the time.

Among the horses Adams rode were champions Elkridge, Neji, Oedipus, and Ancestor. In his final ride, Adams won the 1956 Temple Gwathmey Handicap at United Hunts aboard Ancestor.

A memorial service was scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday at Refugio Farm in Southern Pines.