Walmac International founder John T.L. Jones dies

John T.L. Jones, a former Quarter Horse trainer who founded the Central Kentucky stud farm Walmac International and played an instrumental role in the creation of the Breeders’ Cup, died on Friday at his home in Quanah, Tex., according to his associates and friends of the family. Jones, who was born in Quanah, was 84.

Jones lived his life surrounded by horses, and he played roles in nearly every aspect of the equine business, from working Quarter Horses in his native Texas as a young trainer to managing the stallion careers of European bluebloods whose descendants found success on both sides of the Atlantic. In the Thoroughbred world, he was most well known for his founding of Walmac International, which stood several prominent stallions, and his role as a mediator among the Thoroughbred industry’s diverse constituencies.

Known as “Big Johnny” and never losing his Texas swagger, Jones was the holder of a unique distinction as the only person to breed the winner of both the 2000 Guineas, a prestigious race for 3-year-olds in Great Britain, and the All American Futurity, Quarter Horse racing’s biggest race. The All American Futurity winner, Ochoa, remains the sport’s leading money winner.

Jones founded Walmac International in 1976, establishing a roster of stallions that included Nureyev, Alleged, and Miswaki, three sires that would go on to have a lasting influence on Thoroughbred bloodlines. He retired in 2005 and sold the farm to his son and a partner, but he remained the operation’s director emeritus. The property was sold earlier this month.

Jones also was a founding partner of a Thoroughbred consignment company, Four Star Sales, which remains in operation today. In addition to his commercial roles, he was a vice chairman of the Kentucky Racing Commission and a director of the Association of State Racing Commissioners, the predecessor to the Association of Racing Commissioners International, which develops uniform rules for horseracing. He also served on the boards of Breeders’ Cup and the Keeneland Association.

His association with the Breeders’ Cup began in its formative stages, when John Gaines, the Central Kentucky breeder who developed the concept, was struggling to forge agreement on how to fund the event. Gaines called in Jones to wrangle a consensus, and he successfully mediated a solution.

In 2003, Cajun Beat, a horse Jones bred with partner H. Smoot Fahlgren, won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, 19 years after the first Breeders’ Cup was held.

Jones was inducted into the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2016. He was also a former member of the Texas Horse Racing Association.