JJ Graci was Philadelphia made and racing bred — a man who gave more than six decades of his life to the Thoroughbred industry and never once stopped loving it.
Born in Philadelphia and educated at Villanova University, JJ entered the sport as an owner and trainer and quickly made his mark. He became the winningest trainer in the history of Atlantic City Race Course, a record that still stands, and claimed multiple titles at Garden State Race Course in New Jersey. He wasn’t just passing through — he was building something.
His passion for the game eventually found a second voice in broadcasting. JJ launched At The Races on Fox Sports Radio in Florida, running from 2002 to 2004, and never really left the airwaves after that. In later years the show moved to Blog Talk Radio, where he continued bringing racing to the people who loved it the way he did. In 2018, he returned to his native Pennsylvania, taking on the role of Paddock Host and Handicapper at Delaware Park — back in his element, right where he belonged.
Always the entrepreneur, JJ founded The Dominator, a company producing herbal blends for horses — respiratory, bleeder, and pain formulas — that continued to grow throughout his later years. He was a man of many lanes, and he drove all of them hard.
JJ is survived by two grown children and two grandchildren, who knew a man the racing world was lucky to have.
He passed away in 2022, and his absence is still felt. JJ Graci believed in Jonathan Stettin and Past The Wire from the very beginning. He never said no. That kind of loyalty is rare in any industry, and rarer still in this one.
He will always be a part of this place. Loved and missed.
