Bret Jones was rooting against himself during the Raven Run Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Bret Jones was sitting in the same Keeneland box Saturday as his father, former Ky. Gov. Brereton C. Jones, the owner of Indian Pride, when the highly regarded filly carried the orange-and-green family silks postward as the favorite in the Raven Run Stakes.

Just to the left of the Joneses in the adjacent box stood Neil Pessin, the trainer of Bell’s the One. It just so happens that Bret Jones is the breeder of Bell’s the One.

Well, you know what happened: Indian Pride ran gamely to finish third despite a sluggish start, while Bell’s the One rallied from last to win the Grade 2 race.

“It was a little ironic that I was openly rooting against the filly I bred,” said Jones. “As soon as they hit the wire, I turned and gave Neil a big high-five. He’s done an incredible job with that filly. He was hugely rewarded and deservedly so.”

Jones, 39, has been a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission since 2016.