Martin F. Jones

Birthdate: October 27, 1971.

Birthplace: Arcadia, Cal.

Residence: Pasadena, Cal.

Family: Single

Marty Jones had large shoes to fill as the son of retired trainer Gary Jones and the grandson of the late Farrell Jones—two of the most accomplished trainers in Southern California history—but he is making his own mark in the sport.

“I’ve got my own different style,” said Jones, who has adjusted to changing times and circumstances to become his own man. Yet, his barn features his father’s stall webbings and grandfather’s tack trunks as well as employees who worked for both.           

Jones worked five years as an assistant for his father while pursuing a business degree at Long Beach State when he decided to take over a part of the stable upon his father’s retirement in 1996, rather than continue studies. 

One month later he saddled his first Grade 1 stakes winner: Irish-bred Auriette in the Gamely Handicap at Hollywood Park. California-breds became a large part of his stable thereafter and he developed Alphabet Kisses and Bilo into Grade 1 winners. Multiple stakes winner Unzip Me, another Cal-bred, finished third in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.