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The Jockey Club Steward Brady Dies at 85

Long-term Jockey Club steward was managing partner of Mill House Racing Stable.

James Brady

James Brady

Courtesy Water Hay Oats Alliance

James C. Brady, a long-term steward of The Jockey Club and managing partner of the Mill House Racing Stable, died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family Oct. 22. He was 85.

Born in New York to parents James C. and Eliot (nee Chace) Brady, James Brady grew up in New York City and Bedminster, N.J. He moved into Mill House, his childhood home, in 1975.

In his lifelong involvement with the equestrian world, Brady served as vice-chairman of The Jockey Club and as secretary-treasurer. During his tenure, Brady, Ogden "Dinny" Phipps, and William S. Farish concentrated on building a group of information and technology-based companies: The Jockey Club Information Systems, McKinnie Systems, and Equibase.

"He really worked to create a 'new' Jockey Club," said Brady's nephew, Ian Highet. "He was always in the room while things were happening. He was giving careful, sage advice. The things he cared about most were the horse and the sport. He cared as much about the fabric of racing and the people who actually made it happen. Walking around Saratoga with my uncle was extraordinary. He knew the clerk of scales, he knew the guy in the silks room, and the people on the backstretch. He knew everybody, and that is what he cared about."

Brady was also a member of Water Hay Oats Alliance and a supporter of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act. 

Brady is the grandson of James Cox Brady, who got involved in racing in the 1920s. The family tradition was continued by Brady's father.

"We were always comfortable having horses and being in the business," Brady said in a 1994 interview. "We grew up with horses and had firsthand experience. We rode, showed, and fox-hunted.

"I have been interested in Thoroughbred horses since I could walk—riding, exercising, and watching the races with my parents. After they passed on, I was getting more and more involved in helping with the work of The Jockey Club."

The Brady family races under the Mill House Stable name, and their past graded stakes winners include America Alive, Brilliant, and Trappe Shot. They also campaigned grade 1 winner Sensational, the champion 2-year-old filly of 1976, along with grade 1 winner Furiously and multiple graded stakes winners Star Spangled and Tights.

From September 1957 to February 1970, Jim worked in the Commercial Banking Department at Bankers Trust in New York City. He was a director of Bessemer Trust, Somerset Trust, and Summit Bancorporation, as well as serving as an executive, trustee, and guardian of other entities.

Brady became general partner of Mill House Associates, successor to Brady Security & Realty Corp., beginning in June 1972. He previously served in New Jersey Gov. William T. Cahill's cabinet as commissioner of banking from March 1970-June 1972. He was part of the team that gave birth to the Meadowlands complex that includes Meadowlands racetrack.

Brady was president of both the Brady Foundation and LifeCamp, a program in Pottersville, N.Y., begun by his grandfather and Henry Luce to provide inner-city youth with a summer camp experience in the country. The Brady family has been directly involved in LifeCamp since 1923.

Brady was a graduate of Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, N.J., St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., in 1953, and Yale University in 1957. A superb athlete, Jim played ice hockey at St. Paul's and Yale as well as with the Essex Hunt Club Foxes and the St. Nicholas Hockey Club. He loved tennis, golf, fox hunting, basseting, shooting, paddle tennis, and birding. He spent summers fishing and sailing on Cape Cod.

James is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Joan Babcock Brady; son James C. Brady III, and his wife, Anne Lusk Brady; daughter Joan "Nonie" Brady and her husband, Wilhelm Merck; and daughter Kerry Chace Brady and her partner, Brock Dolman. He had two granddaughters, Audrey Slade Brady and Millicent McKay Brady.

A private family funeral was held Oct. 24 at St. Brigid's Church in Peapack, N.J. A memorial service celebrating his life is to be held in the spring of 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to LifeCamp, 310 South Street 4th Floor, Morristown, N.J. 07960. Arrangements will be handled by Bailey Funeral Home, Peapack, NJ. www.baileyfuneral.com.