Jonathan E. Sheppard (born December 2, 1940 in

Ashwell, Hertfordshire Ashwell is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire situated north-east of Baldock. History To the southwest of the village is Arbury Banks, the remains of an Iron Age hill fort which have been largely removed by agricultural activity. I ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) is an English

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

trainer in American

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horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. Sheppard came to the United States in 1961 and in 1966 won his first race with Haffaday in a steeplechase event at My Lady's Manor,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. In 1973 he won his first earnings championship in

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

racing. He went on to win the earnings title another twenty-three times. He has trained the winner of four

Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase The Grand National Hurdle Stakes is an American National Steeplechase Association sanctioned steeplechase race run each fall at Far Hills, New Jersey. It is a Grade 1 event run over miles. It has been known by a variety of names over the years, i ...

and holds the record for most wins in the Colonial Cup Steeplechase with eleven. Sheppard is the only trainer to win the American steeplechase Triple Crown, doing it with

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, the only horse to win the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse four years in a row. In addition to steeplechase racing, Sheppard has met with considerable success in flat racing. In both venues, he has had a long working relationship with stable owner,

George W. Strawbridge Jr. George W. Strawbridge Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman and philanthropist. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and the stockbroker Geor ...

, and in 2008 he conditioned Strawbridge's

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

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to victory in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. In 1990, he was inducted into the

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. In 2004, Sheppard was elected president of the

National Steeplechase Association The National Steeplechase Association is the official sanctioning body of American steeplechase horse racing. The National Steeplechase Association was founded on February 15, 1895 by August Belmont Jr., the first president of The Jockey Club an ...

. In 2008, Sheppard joined fellow Hall of Famee inductee Sidney Watters, Jr. as the only men in American racing to have trained a champion over both jumps and on the flat. As of 2010, Sheppard's horses have won twelve Eclipse Awards: *

Athenian Idol Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

(1973) *

Cafe Prince Cafe Prince (foaled 1970 in California) was an American Thoroughbred Champion steeplechase racehorse. A descendant through his dam and his sire of the great runner and sire, Nearco, he was bred by "Donut King" Verne Winchell and purchased as a y ...

(1977, 1978) * Martie's Anger (1979) *

(1983, 1984, 1985, 1986) *

Jimmy Lorenzo Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

(1988) * Highland Bud (1989) *

(2008) * Informed Decision (2009) * Divine Fortune (2013)

Leading US steeplechase trainer of all time in victories and earnings

On September 25, 2010, he achieved the milestone of getting his 1,000th steeplechase victory as a trainer. At Monmouth Park Racetrack his trainee Arcadius took the $100,000 Helen Haskell Sampson Stake (NSA-G1) by a length under Brian Crowley. He became the first trainer to send out 1,000 jump winners in the United States. The milestone is considered all the more impressive with the low annual volume of

sanctioned races. In 2008, for example, there were a total of only 168 jump races held that year in the US. On October 29, 2011 (with the victory of the runner 'Dugan' at the Aiken Fall Races) Sheppard's career winnings in National Steeplechase Association races rose by $9,000 (USD) to $20,002,192. The British-born trainer is the first in the American sport ever to pass the $20-million mark, unadjusted for inflation. His closest competitor, Jack Fisher, has yet to hit the $10,000,000 mark.

Noted flat achievement milestone accomplished with victories

Jonathan Sheppard achieved his 3,000th win as a flat trainer Monday September 17, 2012, when Fugitive Angel won the seventh race at Delaware Park in Stanton, Delaware. Sheppard became the 28th trainer in North American racing history to hit the milestone. The 5-year-old horse was bred and is owned by longtime client George Strawbridge Jr. and his Augustin Stables.

Saratoga Race Course achievements

Sheppard has won at least one race in every annual aratoga Race Coursemeet since 1969 through and including 2015, 47 years, which is a record streak for any trainer. His 1st 2015 Race Meet victory was scored by Lune de Caro (TX) in a steeplechase race August 18, 2015. Jonathan remarked to the Times Union, "“I said if I didn’t win one (at Saratoga) this year, I wouldn’t come back” His winning streak of a win every summer at Saratoga ended with the 2015 meet. No trips to the winner's circle for Sheppard at Saratoga for the 2016 meet and thus ending the streek at 47. He was the leading Saratoga trainer in 1984 and 1985.

References

External links

Jonathan Sheppard at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

October 23, 2008 ''Bloodhorse.com'' article titled ''Sheppard, Strawbridge Together 42 Years''

Brisnet Arcadius gives Sheppard milestone win

Racing Post Sep. 26, 2010 1,000th winner for US jumps legend Sheppard

Equibase trainer record: Jonathan E. Sheppard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Jonathan 1940 births Living people American horse trainers American racehorse owners and breeders United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Ashwell, Hertfordshire