Larry Jones decides to keep his feet on the ground

Larry Jones is finished. Not with training Thoroughbreds, but riding them every morning.

“I’ll still get on one on occasion,” Jones said this week from his barn at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. “But yep, I finally decided that I’m done.”

At age 61, weighing 185 pounds, Jones long has been known for doing what other trainers his age and weight have rarely done – exercise his own horses. This literal hands-on approach has distinguished Jones from his peers, but no more.

“I guess I’ll try to learn how to train like these other guys do,” Jones said with a laugh. “It’s not like I’m scared or anything. I’ve done this a long damn time and I’ve come to this decision on my own terms.”

Born and raised in Hopkinsville, Ky., Jones mostly struggled for 20 years after taking out his training license in 1982. But starting in 2002, buoyed by the success of fillies such as Ruby’s Reception and Island Sand, he suddenly became one of the elite trainers in North America. He trained Havre de Grace to the 2011 Horse of the Year title for the Fox Hill Farm of Rick Porter and is a three-time winner of the Kentucky Oaks (2008, 2012, 2015). Stable earnings for his 36-year career now stand at nearly $50 million.

Exercise riders typically weigh no more than 150 pounds or so. The sight of Jones, a relatively hulking figure, circling the track on his horses was unusual, but he always believed the benefits outweighed any potential harm.

“I’ve done it my way, yes sir,” Jones said. “I used to get on all the broncs and let ’em know who was boss. I always just felt like I could know my horses better by getting on them myself. People have kidded me about being too big for them, but I’d like to think our results speak for themselves.”

After years of spending summers at Delaware Park, this is the first in quite some time for Jones in his native state. His 30-horse stable is split between Keeneland and Churchill Downs. But he still runs the occasional horse at Delaware, near where Porter, his longtime main client, maintains a summer home. In fact, Jones is taking a couple of the Fox Hill horses to Delaware to race next week.

“I’ll probably get on them in the mornings up there,” Jones said. “No sense in taking a rider just to get on a horse or two. I’m not saying I’m completely done. Just not every day like I’ve been doing for so long.”

Full field for Friday feature

An full field of 11 3-year-olds and up plus two also-eligibles are entered in the lone allowance on an eight-race card that gets a three-day weekend under way Friday at Ellis Park in western Kentucky.

Fred’stwirlincandy and Get Western, both third for a first-level condition at Churchill in their last start, are among the likely favorites in the seventh race, a $43,000 turf race scheduled for 1 1/16 miles.

The weekend highlight at Ellis comes Sunday with the $50,000 Good Lord at six furlongs. First post daily is 12:50 p.m. Central.

◗ Officials at Kentucky Downs in south-central Kentucky have reported that an unidentified customer won a record $709,983 last weekend on one of its historical racing machines when playing in penny increments. The slots-like machines are a major reason turf-only Kentucky Downs once again will be able to offer huge purses at a five-day meet that starts Sept. 1.