Thanksgiving race honors Freddy Jones

EDMONTON, Alberta - The memory of longtime Edmonton horseman Freddy Jones, who died of cancer less than a year ago, will be celebrated at Northlands Park on Monday, Thanksgiving Day.

A major allowance for 2-year-old fillies will be named the F.D. (Freddy) Jones Memorial.

Freddy Jones, who had horses who won both the Alberta Derby and the Canadian Derby, came from a racing background.

Freddy's father, Davey Jones, rode in Cuba for a time and later campaigned a racing stable in Alberta in the summer and British Columbia in the fall.

One of Davey's favorite memories was a horse called Vivace whom he claimed during the 1940's at Winnipeg's Polo Park from celebrated entertainers Harry James and Betty Grable.

Freddy Jones trained the 1962 Canadian Derby winner Western Morn for the Bildon Stable (named for the sons of owners Cecil Ross and Walter Sprague).

In 1967, Ross again was in the winner's circle when Jones saddled his Alberta Derby champion Alf's Folley.

Following Ross's death his widow, Florence, campaigned the Sturgeon River Stable and won the Stampede Futurity with Roundy's Kid in 1968 and Flying Award in 1969.

Another outstanding performer for Jones was Sturgeon River's Timber Topper, who was voted Alberta's champion older horse in 1974.

In more recent years, Freddy Jones trained for former Edmonton Eskimo quarterback Don Getty, including the years that Getty was premier of Alberta. Among the victories for the Jones-Getty alliance was Abberoo, who won the Western Canada Handicap in 1987.

Freddy's wife, Audrey, was a member of the mutuels staff at Northlands until retiring three months ago.

Their sons Darryl and Danny have continued the Jones racing tradition here. Darryl is a member of the starting gate staff while Danny has trained such successful thoroughbreds as the filly First Strike, a multi-stake winner in 1988.