Jack Kelly, an Equibase chart caller and field supervisor, died Sept. 20 at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City after a lengthy illness. He was 61.
A native of Philadelphia, Kelly graduated from Cal State/Hayward. He called charts at the Fresno Fair races in the early 1980’s for the racing publication SportsEye and in 1984 he joined the Daily Racing Form staff on the East Coast.
When the licensing agreement between Daily Racing Form and Equibase was signed in 1998, he supervised the field staff throughout the East Coast and also helped manage chart calling for major races, including the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup events. More recently, he called charts on the NYRA circuit.
According to a release from The Jockey Club, Kelly once estimated he had worked at 44 different racetracks through the years and had probably called more than 50,000 races.
Kelly is survived by his wife, Nancy, the vice president of development for Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and executive director of The Jockey Club Foundation.
Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Jockey Club Foundation, 40 E. 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022.
