During those prosperous Hobeau Farm years, Jerkens became known as “The Giant Killer,” although he never cared much for that name. Perhaps this is because the nickname does not do justice to a remarkable career that has lasted more than 65 years.
Emma’s Encore won the Grade 1 Prioress Stakes in 2012 at Saratoga Race Course, and she was just the latest in a long line of memorable Jerkens trainees, including Hall of Famer Sky Beauty (1994 Older Woman Champion), Beau Purple, Onion, Prove Out, Sensitive Prince, Devil His Due, Classy Mirage, Kelly Kip, Duck Dance, Virginia Rapids, Wagon Limit and many more.
But make no mistake: Jerkens’ attacks have overcome more than a few foes over the years that seemed invincible. In 1962-63 he sent Beau Purple to beat the formidable Kelso three times: in the 1962 Suburban Handicap, the 1962 Man o’ War and the 1963 Widener Handicap. In 1963 Pocosaba took the benchmark from three-time champion Cicada. And in 1967, the Jerkens-trained Handsome Boy upset Buckpasser in the Brooklyn Handicap.
All of the above was just a warm-up for 1973, when the Jerkensschuur conquered the mighty Secretariat not once but twice. Onion shocked the world in Saratoga’s Whitney Handicap when he defeated Big Red in the second run of that race following his incomparable Belmont Stakes score of 31 lengths. (Jerkens nearly upset another Triple Crown winner in 1978 when Affirmed needed the entire Saratoga stretch to edge Sensitive Prince by a half-length in the Jim Dandy Stakes.) And later in 1973, in the Woodward Handicap, it was Prove Out’s turn to topple Secretariat, the horse considered by many to be the greatest of all time. With these victories still vivid in voters’ memories, Jerkens was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975. At the age of 45, he was the youngest flat trainer ever to be honored with enshrinement.
While he may have been a giant killer, Jerkens always preferred his “other” nickname: “The Chief.” And that approach was entirely appropriate, because despite a lack of fuss, Jerkens always seemed like the man in charge. Legendary are the Belmont backstretch touch football games of the 1980s and 1990s, when Jerkens played quarterback – for both teams.
He was one of those rare people who always came across as the coolest guy in the room, even when impressing people was the last thing on his mind. In 2001, Jerkens received the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of horse racing. At a meeting notorious for long-winded acceptance speeches, Jerkens took the podium and delivered the following speech, reprinted here in its entirety:
“Thank you very much.”
The assembled turf writers immediately rose as one and gave their silent honoree what was by far the loudest ovation of the evening. The chef indeed.
Fun facts
- His father was an Austrian cavalry captain.
- He originally hoped to become a jockey.
- Saddled his first winner on July 4, 1950 with Populace in Aqueduct.
- In 1975, at the age of 45, he became the youngest flat racing trainer to be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. (This record was later broken by three months by Bill Mott in 1998.)
- Won the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer in 1973.
- Was head coach in New York four times between 1957 and 1969 (1957, 1962, 1966, 1969), and scored his fifth coaching title in New York 29 years later, in 1998.
- Father of two training sons: Steven Jerkens and Jimmy Jerkens. Jimmy accomplished one feat his father could not: winning a Breeders’ Cup race. Jimmy did it twice: with Artie Schiller in the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Mile and Corinthian in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
- The Grade 1 King’s Bishop was renamed in honor of Jerkens after his death in 2015. It is now the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes.
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