
I met LeRoy on a balmy Florida evening in the winter of 1994 (I think!) on the loggia at Indian Creek Country Club.  One look into his “steely” blue eyes and I fell hard.  Of course I knew who he was, about his accomplishments and fame in the Thoroughbred industry.  My father was born and raised in NYC and was an avid horseracing fan, regularly using his school lunch money to attend the races at Belmont or Aqueduct.  Truth be told, my Dad was a frustrated wannabe horse trainer.  I remember my sister tearing off the cover of the Sports Illustrated that featured Genuine Risk winning the Derby and hung it on the refrigerator door.  For sure, his career impressed me, but it was his calm presence, his steady voice, and his worldliness, that drew me in.  We became inseparable over the next seven years. Career-wise things had shifted dramatically for him and we lived a pretty simple life, but in reflection, they were glorious, happy times.  He had a lifetime of captivating stories and no one could tell a better story then LeRoy.  All of us know about his career, but I was thinking about LeRoy’s private side, and the things he enjoyed when he was not thinking about horses.  He was an avid reader, loved a good movie, and always kept up on current events.  Politics, arts and entertainments, culture, and yes, gossip.  He had a wicked sense of humor, a dry wit that could round out any conversation with a chuckle. He loved “a couple of pops” and a good meal.  Oysters, a good steakhouse meal, and he absolutely loved dessert.  It never seized to amaze me that he could sleep anywhere, at the drop of a hat.  He used to say, “they put knock out drops” in whatever the last thing he ate was.  He loved flowers, appreciated a good landscape, classic fashion and well polished shoes.  There are some expressions he used regularly,  whether they originated with him, or he picked up from the various Runyonesque characters that filtered in and out of his life, does not matter.  

He made them his own. 
 “They have deep pockets, but short arms”, “I can resist anything but temptation”, “They have all the qualities of a dog except loyalty”, “No matter how much you tune up a garbage truck, it will never beat a Jaguar”.   The last one I believe came from his old friend Roger Laurin.  Over the years our relationship settled into a true friendship.  He held my hand in some of the most difficult times of my life.  I cherish the fact that I was able to tell him one last time that I loved him…and I heard those words back.  Until the very end of his life, he never gave up the faith and hope that a fast horse with a big heart could do for one’s life.   I love that about him. 

Kraeer-Fairchild Funeral Home and Cremation Center

LeRoy Jolley

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LeRoy Jolley

14 January, 1938 – 19 December, 2017

Kraeer-Fairchild Funeral Home and Cremation Center

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