James P. Conway (August 4, 1910 - May 31, 1984) was an American Hall of Fame trainer in

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

who trained forty-three stakes winners including five

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

and a winner of two American Classic Races. Before becoming a professional trainer in 1946, Conway worked at various racetrack jobs. His first major client was

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

hotel owner Ben Whitaker for whom "Jimmy" Conway conditioned the 1948 and 1953

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

, Miss Request and

Grecian Queen Grecian Queen (foaled in 1950) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. She was bred by Dallas, Texas businessman Ben Whitaker and raced under the name of his wife Florence. A consistently good and durable runner at age two and three, sh ...

. Whitaker died in April 1954, and Conway's next Champion was with another filly named Pucker Up. Owned by

Ada L. Rice Daniel F. Rice (1896–1975) and his wife Ada L. Rice (1898–1977) were American business people, thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists. Dan Rice was educated in the public school system of Chicago, Illinois and spent t ...

, Pucker Up was the 1957

American Champion Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

. From 1962 to 1966 Jimmy Conway trained for John Galbreath's

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 (1 ...

with whom he would enjoy his greatest success. In his first year with Darby Dan, Conway conditioned the filly Primonetta to 1962

honors then the following year won two of the U.S. Triple Crown races with Chateaugay. The colt won the 1963 Kentucky Derby at 1¼ miles, finished second to

Candy Spots Candy Spots (April 14, 1960 – March 21, 1976) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Candy Spots was foaled in California and was named for the unusual white and black markings, similar to Bend Or spots, that speckled his chestn ...

in the 1³/16 mile

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

, then won the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes. Chateaugay would be Conway's fifth Champion, voted 1963

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

. Besides his 1963 win in the Kentucky Derby, Conway had four other horses who ran in the prestigious race: 1948 (3rd), 1957 (6th), 1968 (2nd), 1970 (12th). After leaving the Darby Dan stable, in 1967 Conway returned to operating a public stable, training horses for notable owners such as Maxwell Gluck's

Elmendorf Farm Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, involved with horse racing since the 19th century. Once the North Elkhorn Farm, many owners and tenants have occupied the area, even during the American Civil War. Mo ...

. Following a lengthy illness, Jimmy Conway died at age seventy-three at

Nassau Hospital Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

in Mineola on Long Island, New York. In 1996 he was inducted in the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

References

June 1, 1984 ''New York Times'' obituary for James P. Conway

James P. Conway at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, James P. 1910 births 1984 deaths American horse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Nassau County, New York