Loyd "Boo" Gentry Jr. (January 19, 1925 – July 1, 2012) was an American

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

best known for training

Proud Clarion Proud Clarion (January 19, 1964 – December 17, 1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1967 Kentucky Derby. Background Owned and bred by John W. Galbreath, Proud Clarion was foaled at his Darby Dan Farm in Le ...

to win the

1967 Kentucky Derby The 1967 Kentucky Derby was the 93rd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 6, 1967. Full results * Winning Breeder: John W. Galbreath; (KY) References 1967 Kentucky Derby Derby Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), offi ...

Background

Born in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...

, Gentry was the son of jockey and trainer, Loyd Gentry Sr. His father trained for the prominent Canadian horseman

Harry C. Hatch Harold Clifford "Harry" Hatch (1884–1946) was a millionaire industrialist from Prince Edward County, Ontario specializing in the business of wine and spirits. Hatch started out with a small liquor store in Whitby, Ontario and prospered to t ...

for whom he conditioned the winner of the 1941

King's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

. Loyd Jr. was also the nephew of Olin B. Gentry, who managed the horse breeding operations of Colonel

Edward R. Bradley Edward Riley Bradley (December 12, 1859 – August 15, 1946) was an American steel mill laborer, gold miner, businessman and philanthropist. As well as a race track proprietor, he was the preeminent owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehor ...

. Gentry served in the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

from 1943 to 1946 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

before beginning his career as a trainer.

Early career

Gentry competed mainly at

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...

s in New York, South Florida, Kentucky, and Illinois. Gentry trained for several major owners including

Harry Frank Guggenheim Harry Frank Guggenheim (August 23, 1890 – January 22, 1971) was an American businessman, diplomat, publisher, philanthropist, aviator, and horseman. Early life He was born August 23, 1890, in West End, New Jersey. He was the second son of Fl ...

. In 1955 he sent two of Guggenheim's colts to run in the Kentucky Derby: the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is run ...

winner Racing Fool, ridden by

Henry Moreno Henry E. "Hank" Moreno (May 12, 1930 - February 1, 2007) was a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Moreno's most important win for Harry F. Guggenheim's stable came in the 1953 Kentucky Derby when he rode Dark Star to victory over future the H ...

, finished fourth, and Flying Fury, winner of the Champagne Stakes, ridden by

Conn McCreary Conn N. McCreary (June 17, 1921 - June 29, 1979) was a United States Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing who won four American Classic Races. Riding career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Conn McCreary began his professio ...

, ran sixth. He had previously trained Milton Shagrin's Shag Tails, ridden by John Nazareth, to finish thirteenth in 1952. Gentry also won the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred Filly, fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky O ...

and the

Beldame Stakes The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and curre ...

with

Lalun Lalun (1952 – 1977) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and successful broodmare. Owned and bred by Harry Guggenheim, she was trained by Loyd Gentry, Jr. and under jockey Henry Moreno notably won the 1955 Kentucky Oaks and Beldame Stakes. ...

in 1955. In 1964, he sent out the two-year-old Umbrella Fella to win four races including the

Breeders' Futurity Stakes The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run ...

Darby Dan Farm trainer

In 1965, Gentry became trainer to

John W. Galbreath John Wilmer Galbreath (August 10, 1897 – July 20, 1988) was an American building contractor and sportsman. Born in Derby, Ohio, he grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, where he graduated from high school. He then graduated from Ohio University in ...

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath (19 ...

. The move forced him to give up training a promising two-year-old named

Kauai King Kauai King (April 3, 1963 – January 24, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse was foaled on April 3, 1963 at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland. His sire was Native Dancer and his dam was Sweep In. In 1966, Kauai King won the first two ...

who went on to win the following year's Derby. In 1966, Gentry trained Darby Dan Farm's

Graustark Graustark is a fictional country in Eastern Europe used as a setting for several novels by George Barr McCutcheon. Graustark's neighbors, which also figure in the stories, are Axphain to the north and Dawsbergen to the south. Description Gra ...

, winner of the 1965 Arch Ward Stakes at

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regi ...

and the 1966

Bahamas Stakes The Bahamas Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in January at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. A seven furlong race on dirt, it was the first important test of the calendar year for newly turned three-year-olds. ...

Hialeah Park The Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as the Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park) is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida, Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenu ...

. After

Buckpasser Buckpasser (1963–1978) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1966 Horse of the Year. His other achievements include 1965 Champion Two-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Three-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Handicap Horse, and 1967 Champi ...

suffered a quarter crack, Graustark became widely favored to win the Kentucky Derby that year. Because Graustark had never raced over 7

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

, it was decided, in spite of a slightly infected left front hoof, to run him in the 9 furlong

as a prep for the 1966 Kentucky Derby. Graustark was beaten by a nose by Abe's Hope after suffering a career-ending injury. Gentry Jr. trained the 1967

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

winner, Darby Dan Farm's,

, ridden by

Bobby Ussery Robert Nelson "Bobby" Ussery (born September 3, 1935 in Vian, Oklahoma) is a retired American Thoroughbred horse racing hall of fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on November 22, ...

. Proud Clarion finished third in the 1967 Preakness, behind

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and

In Reality In Reality (March 1, 1964 – May 8, 1989) was an American bred racehorse. Bred in Florida, he was a son of Intentionally and out of the mare My Dear Girl, the 1959 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. His damsire was Santa Anita Derby winner ...

Later career

Gentry won a second Kentucky Oaks with Hail to Patsy in 1969 and the

Forerunner Stakes The Forerunner Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1950 through 2007 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it was last contested on turf over a distance of one and one-eighth m ...

with Supreme Quality in 1970. He continued to train horses until his death on July 1, 2012, at

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentry Jr. 1925 births 2012 deaths United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II American horse trainers Sportspeople from Covington, Kentucky