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James J. Toner

Statistics by Year:
 

Category Starters Starts Starts/Starter 1st 2nd 3rd Win % % 1st, 2nd or 3rd Earned Avg Earnings per Start Avg Earnings Per Starter
Dirt 4 6 1.5 0 0 2 0% 33.33% $30,796 $5,133 $7,699
Turf 15 23 1.53 1 3 2 4.35% 26.09% $125,996 $5,478 $8,400
All Weather 3 3 1 0 1 0 0% 33.33% $16,390 $5,463 $5,463
Total 17 32 1.88 1 4 4 3.13% 28.13% $173,182 $5,412 $10,187
  
Graded Stakes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% $0 $0 $0
Black-type Stakes 1 1 1 0 0 0 0% 0% $1,250 $1,250 $1,250
Two-year-olds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0% $0 $0 $0
Claiming 1 2 2 0 0 0 0% 0% $480 $240 $480
First-time starters 4 4 0 0 0 0% 0% $7,202 $1,801 $1,801
Name: James J. Toner
Address:
4 Ash Lane
Valley Stream, NY  11581
Phone: (516) 353-8736
Email: Jjtinfo@aol.com
Website: http://Jjtonerracingstable.com
Trainer Bio

Born in Philadelphia, James Toner had an unorthodox introduction to horse racing. His cousin was a bartender at Garden State Park Racetrack where he introduced Toner to all the trainers and the racetrack locals. The day after graduating from high school, Toner headed to the Jersey Shore to work at Monmouth Park; and he’s been on the track ever since. Toner worked as an assistant to trainer W. R. Mitchell. At the age of 19, Toner traveled to New York’s Aqueduct Racetrack to run a horse for Mitchell. Upon arriving, officials at Aqueduct informed Toner that he needed a trainer’s license in order to run the horse. On the fly, Toner took the New York trainer’s exam and the racing secretary quickly amended the program to reflect the name of the young new trainer: J. J. Toner. To this day, Toner holds the record as New York’s youngest trainer to saddle a horse. The horse, Battle Empress, made the all last-minute preparations well worth it, as she went on to win that race.

Toner continued to work as an assistant trainer under Mitchell until 1963, when he was drafted to serve in the military. He spent two years active duty and one year in Korea. Once he returned to civilian life, Toner quickly picked up where he left off, working with thoroughbred racehorses on Meadowbrook Farm in Ocala, FL.

Anxious to return to the races, Toner returned to New Jersey, where he spent several years before he decided to train in New York full-time. There, Toner worked as a private trainer for Caesar Kimmel. They enjoyed a great deal of success with a multitude of winners, including Grade 1 winner, Buzz My Bell, who won the running of the 1983 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and I’m Splendid, who took the 1985 edition of the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet.  Kimmel’s horses earned notoriety not only from their wins, but also the unusual, and occasionally off-color, names Kimmel chose for them.

In the early 1990s, Toner opened up his stable to train for a variety of owners. Ronald Nicholson, who partnered with Caesar Kimmel, owned such prominent horses as Flying Chevron, winner of the Grade 1 NYRA Mile, now known as the Cigar Mile. Toner also trained their silks-bearer, Blazing Fury, who won the Saranac Handicap and ran a game fourth in the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

His partnership with John Phillips began with a filly named Tribulation, winner of the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II, which marked the beginning of a string of superb Phillips-owned and Toner-trainer turf fillies.  Toner trained Memories of Silver and developed her into one of the top turf fillies in her division.  At 3, Memories of Silver won the Lake George (Gr. 2), the Nijana (Gr. 3), the Queen Elizabeth II (Gr. 1), and finished a strong fifth against the colts in 1996 Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile. She came back at 4 to earn victories in the Just a Game (Gr. 1), the Beverly D. (Gr. 1), the Robert G. Dick Memorial, the Ballston Spa (Gr. 3), and the Diana Stakes (Gr. 1). Soaring Softly was another extraordinary turf mare whose accomplishments earned her the Eclipse Award in 1999 for Outstanding Turf Mare. Her resume included wins in the Sheepshead Bay (Gr. 2), the New York Handicap (Gr. 2), the Flower Bowl Invitational (Gr. 1), and to top off her stellar year, a win in the inaugural Filly and Mare Turf Breeders’ Cup (Gr. 1). Another notable filly among the Phillips/Toner partnership was Wonder Again, who collected wins in the Lake Placid (Gr. 2), the Garden City Handicap (Gr. 1), the Nobel Damsel (Gr. 3), the New York Handicap (Gr. 2), the Diana Handicap (Gr. 1), and placed third in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.  La Cloche, winner of the Voodoo Dancer and the Athenia (Gr. 3) as well as Recepta, winner of the Chelsea Flower, are two recent stakes winners that campaigned for Phillips and Toner. Perhaps the most well-known filly Toner has trained is Winter Memories, whose dramatic race style and majestic grey coloring quickly made her a fan favorite. Winter Memories was a precocious two-year-old, winning the Miss Grillo (Gr. 3) and finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf. At 3, she followed a path similar to her mother, winning the Appalachian (Gr. 3), the Lake George (Gr. 2) and, through her incredible bursts of speed, overcame great adversity to ensure a win in the Garden City (Gr. 1).  At 4, she went on to win the Beaugay Stakes (Gr. 3) and the Diana (Gr. 1). Her tenacity, honesty, and exhilarating style of running made her one of the most memorable horses Toner has ever trained as well as a personal favorite of his.

Toner, the consummate horseman, abides by the old-school standards of horsemanship while simultaneously adopting the demands of today’s racing game. He prides himself in offering owners of thoroughbred racehorses a life time of hands-on training experience, highly individualized attention to each horse, and competing at the nation’s highest level. Toner is primarily based out of New York. He also has horses stabled at Fair Hill, Maryland, for Justin Nicholson, manager of 90 North Racing Stable. Toner has a son, James, who has a business in Florida and a daughter, Catherine, who currently attends Brooklyn Law School. 

Locations Manager on location Email Phone Day Rate # of horses trained
Belmont Park
Fair Hill
Palm Meadows Training Center
What's your normal use of veterinary services to manage horses on a day-today basis:
  • Aggressive ($700+ month/horse)
  • Moderate ($300 - $600 month/horse)
  • Occasional (less than $300 month/horse)
Other than day rate, does your billing include charges for:
  • Veterinary
  • Blacksmith
  • Vanning
  • Travel
  • Other
How often do you communicate with Owners:
  • Daily
  • 2-3 times a week
  • Once a week
  • As needed

Top 10 Winning Horses - Past 12 months

Horse Sex Current Earnings Best Win Race Class Best Win Stake
Random Harvest Filly $186,633 Winner
Broadway Boogie Filly $114,700 Winner
Border War Gelding $47,550 Winner
Apropos Filly $29,400 Winner
Now Voyager Filly $24,000 Winner
Battlefield Park Gelding $17,500 Winner
Horse Sex Earnings Best Race Class Best Stake
Soaring Softly Filly $1,270,433 Champion grass mare Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf G1
Memories of Silver Filly $1,448,715 Grade 1 winner Beverly D. S. G1
Wonder Again Filly $1,439,602 Grade 1 winner Diana H. G1
Winter Memories Filly $1,268,100 Grade 1 winner Diana S. G1
Time and Motion Filly $967,719 Grade 1 winner Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Presented by Lane's End G1
Hunter O'Riley Gelding $566,293 Grade 1 winner United Nations S. G1
Flying Chevron Colt $383,610 Grade 1 winner NYRA Mile H. G1
Tribulation Filly $379,300 Grade 1 winner Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. G1
Hawkish Gelding $528,390 Grade 2 winner Penn Mile S. G2
Manitoulin Gelding $470,256 Grade 2 winner Hollywood Turf Cup S. G2
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References Name # Horses Trained Best Horse Trained
John Phillips Winter Memories, Soaring Softly, Memories of Silver
Justin Nicholson Two Months Rent, Much Rejoicing, Masseuse
90 North Racing Stables Sheldon, Wabbajack

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