John M. Veitch

Who is John M. Veitch?

John M. Veitch is an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sylvester Veitch, he belongs to a family that has been in the horse-training business for three generations.

Veitch studied at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois where he played fullback on the university's football team.

From the beginning of his training career in 1974 through the end of 2003, Veitch won 410 races out of 2,340 starts and his horses earned $20,097,980. He began as an assistant with his father as well as for trainer Elliott Burch at Rokeby Stables before going on his own in 1974. In 1976, he accepted the job as head trainer for Lucille Markey's Calumet Farm where he remained until late 1982. He then trained horses for John W. Galbreath of Darby Dan Farm plus Brian's Time for Jodie and Wally Phillips, Galbreath's sister and brother-in-law. For a time in the early 1980s, he additionally handled the training for the stable of Frances A. Genter. In 1998, he closed his small public stable and took the job of racing consultant to a member of Saudi Arabia's royal family.