Josh Pons

Racing journalist and horseman Josh Pons has been named the recipient of the 2024 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented by the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, for excellence in thoroughbred racing literature published in 2024. He received the winner's $10,000 check during a Nov. 6 reception at the Lexington, Ky., farm. Pons won for 'Letters from Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o' War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest Thoroughbred Farm', a retrospective of the Golden Age of racing as viewed through a remarkable trove of correspondence to his grandfather,...

Arthur B. Hancock III, John Perrotta, and Josh Pons have been named finalists for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, which celebrates excellence in Thoroughbred sports literature. Two of the titles, Hancock's "Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption" and Pons's "Letters From Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o' War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest Thoroughbred Farm" are biographies steeped in the family Thoroughbred history of each author. Perrotta, a lifelong horseman who has been a racetrack and stable manager, jockey agent and radio executive, joins the group...

Six semifinalists for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award have been selected, by a panel of judges, representing excellence in thoroughbred sports literature published in 2024, Castleton Lyons announced Tuesday. These six titles illustrate the scope of the Book Award, including histories, biographies, a memoir, and two works of fiction. Per Castleton Lyons's release, the books "were chosen from nearly 20 submissions, an indicator that literature on horse racing remains very much alive despite thoroughbred industry controversies and the global economic hardships of recent years." Three finalists will...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has revealed that D. G. Van Clief and Josh Pons have been named to the Hall of Fame committee as chairs of the Contemporary Nominating Committee and the Pillars of the Turf Committee, respectively. With the new Hall of Fame committee chairs in place, Museum leadership is reportedly beginning an evaluation of the overall nomination and election process, including a review of the contemporary Hall of Fame voting panel. The current procedures may be found here. Van Clief, who previously served...

Keeneland Library's Lecture Series returns with presentations by Maryland horseman and journalist Josh Pons, and NBC's Emmy Award-winning commentator Tom Hammond, the repository said in a release Thursday morning. Pons, author of the newly-released Letters from Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o' War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest Thoroughbred Farm, will speak Aug. 29. Hammond's presentation over his new autobiography entitled Races, Games, and Olympic Dreams: A Sportscaster's Life is set for Sept. 24. Both programs will be held at Keeneland Library from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET. Each presentation will...

Five open seats on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) have been filled, with four of the positions filled by returning members and one by a new member. Returning to the board are veterinarian Brooke Bowman, DVM; owner-breeder Michael Horning; Country Life Farm and Merryland Farm co-owner Josh Pons; and Northview Stallion Station's general manager David Wade. Trainer Phil Schoenthal is joining the MHBA Board for the first time. The five elected will serve for the next three years and will join current directors William...

by Josh Pons Andrew MacNamara Pons, who managed his family's Country Life Farm in Maryland during the 1970s, died on Tuesday evening, Jan. 2, following complications from cardiac arrest five days earlier. He was 70 years old. Born in Baltimore on May 31, 1953, he was the oldest son of Joseph and Mary Jo Pons. He grew up working with horses at Country Life, the oldest Thoroughbred farm in the state, established in 1933 by Pons' grandfather, Adolphe. Fresh out of high school, Pons began work as an assistant for...

The Maryland Horse Library and Education Center will hold a duplicate book sale May 17 and May 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Reisterstown. A large collection of classics, many out-of-print, as well as newer offerings will be available for purchase. Local authors will be on hand at designated times throughout the day Wednesday to sign their books, with new copies available for sale. Josh Pons, Eclipse Award-winning writer of "Country Life Diary" and "Merryland" about the Pons family's farms in Harford and Baltimore Counties, as well as...

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will host a Tesio Talk and continental breakfast in the International Room at Laurel Park on Federico Tesio S. day, Apr. 15. The "Talking Tesio" event begins at 10:30 a.m. and will feature a continental breakfast followed by a panel discussion with industry leaders about Tesio's influence on the breed. Speakers include Country Life Farm's Josh Pons, J. William Boniface, the owner of Bonita Farm, and Ned Moore, owner of Corner Farm in Clark County, Virginia, bloodstock agent, and...

Located in the heart of historic Reisterstown, Md., just down the road from Sagamore Farm, Hall of Fame steeplechase trainer Jack Fisher's Kingfisher Farm, and GreenMount Farm, the birthplace of 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter), sits the newly opened Maryland Horse Library and Education Center. The one-of-a-kind facility, honoring the robust history of horses in Maryland and serving as a hub for educating the next generation, is housed in the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA)'s building. The stately brick structure with large, white columns, was originally built...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation has awarded $65,000 in grants to nine organizations. In 2022, to fund scholarships and education, $10,000 was awarded to the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc., $5,000 to Amplify Horse Racing, $12,000 to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, $10,000 to the Maryland Horse Foundation, $4,000 to the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, $5,000 to the Retired Race Horse Project, $4,000 to the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program, $10,000 to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, and $5,000 to Wilson College. TERF primarily aims to support students in pursuit...

The Maryland Horse Foundation has announced the launch of the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center Capital Campaign, which will honor the history of horses in the state and serve as a hub for learning and collaboration. "The way [into the horse industry] is through learning, so that's the most exciting aspect of this project," said Josh Pons, co-chair of the Capital Campaign and president of the Maryland Horse Foundation. "There's someone out there who has a passion for the game but just doesn't know how to get started, and...