Owner/Breeder Burns of Mount Joy Stables Dies at 78

Illinois owner/breeder Brian Daniel Burns, the owner of Mount Joy Stables, died April 18 following a brief battle with cancer, according to his family. He was 78. Among Burns' many interests, he had a passion for horse racing early on and entered the business in 1992. His first horse was an Illinois-bred son of Encino, who trainer Chuck Calvin bought for $20,000 out of the 1991 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Called The Name's Jimmy, in recognition of his late father, the colt went on to win the American Derby (G2T) at Arlington Park and the Will Rogers Handicap (G3T) at Hollywood Park. He was placed in three other graded stakes on his way to earning $404,090. He entered stud at Crestwood Farm in Kentucky, and later in Illinois, Louisiana, and Florida. He survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was eventually retired to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Ky., where he died in 2014. As a breeder, Burns produced grade 2 winners Smooth Air, Dawn of the Condor, and Overdriven and grade 3 winner Predawn Raid. He campaigned Smooth Air as a homebred. The son of Smooth Jazz ran second in the 2008 Florida Derby (G1) and took Burns to the Kentucky Derby (G1) where he finished in mid-pack. The colt went on to win the Ohio Derby (G2) and ran third in the Pennsylvania Derby (G2). He retired with $1,117,200 in earnings and went to stud in Louisiana. Mount Joy also was co-breeder of three-time grade 1 winner and multi-millionaire Got Stormy, who he bred with Pope McLean, Pope McLean Jr. and Marc McLean. Burns was a client with the McLean's Crestwood Farm since 1995. As Mount Joy and in partnerships, Burns bred and/or raced about 300 winners and, as an owner, earned more than $5.2 million, according to Equibase and The Jockey Club. Burns was born to James and Mary Burns on May 27, 1947, in New York and moved to Chicago when he was 16. He attended Mendel High School on Chicago's southside, where he met his future wife, Jan. They were married in 1969. According to his family, he raced cars in his early 20s. His career took him to steel mills and later Allstate insurance, which he parlayed into his own successful underwriting disability insurance company for professional athletes. He sold his insurance company in 2007. Besides horse racing, his passions included billfishing and spending time in the mountains of Montana playing golf, fishing, and clay shooting with his friends and grandsons. He was also a gifted storyteller. Survivors include his wife Jan; his brother Dennis Burns; his daughters, Brittany Siciliano (Michael) and Jamie Burns; and grandchilden Finn, Riley, Abigail, Arabella, Foley, and Briggs. A visitation will be held April 29, at 11 a.m. until the memorial mass starting at noon at St. Patrick Church (New), 928 W. Everett Road, Lake Forest, Ill. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Burns' name to one of his favorite charities: Old Friends Equine for Retired Thoroughbreds, Folded Flag Foundation, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and The Billfish Foundation.