James A. Jerkens (born January 24, 1959 in
Bay Shore, New York
Bay Shore is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Islip, New York, United States. It is situated on the South Shore of Long Island, adjoining the Great South Bay. The population of the CDP was 29,244 at the time of the 2020 ...
) is an American
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
horse trainer
A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...
. His father,
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee
H. Allen Jerkens, and brother,
Steve Jerkens
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
, are also trainers.
Background
Jerkens father, H. Allen Jerkens, was a prominent New-York based trainer whose nickname in the press was "the Giant Killer" as he was best known for training horses who pulled off major upsets. The elder Jerkens, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, died in 2015. His first wife and Jimmy Jerkens mother, Ann, died in 1986. The younger Jerkens has three siblings, Steven (also a trainer), Allen, and Julie.
Jerkens started learning horsemanship from his father at the age of 11, working part-time mucking out stalls and acting as a
hot walker
A hot walker within the practice of horse management is a person such as a groom or stable worker who hand walks hot, sweaty horses after a workout, particularly after work on a racetrack. The term hot walker may also refer to a mechanical devi ...
.
In 1973, he was watching from the backstretch at Saratoga when his father's horse
Onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...
upset
Secretariat
Secretariat may refer to:
* Secretariat (administrative office)
* Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...
in the
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...
. In 1977, he graduated from
Walt Whitman High School in
Huntington Station, New York
Huntington Station is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The population was 33,029 at the 2010 census.
History
The hamlet was named for its railroad station, ...
and became an assistant trainer to his father. In 1997, the elder Jerkens suggested he start his own stable with a few horses from a longtime client.
Jerkens divorced his first wife in 1997,
then married his current wife Shirley in July 2008. They were originally high school sweethearts but parted ways after several years. Shirley was also previously married and has two children, Henry and Fredericka. Shirley is a pediatric
physical therapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
and has been involved with horses for many years.
Racing career
In 1997, Jerkens struck out on his own with just nine horses in his stable. On September 28, he won his first race with Ninth Inning at Belmont Park. Later that year, he won his first graded stakes, the
Astarita, with the same filly. In 1998, he finished third in the
Belmont Stakes with Thomas Jo, who also won two stakes races that year. At the 1999-2000
Aqueduct Inner Track meeting, he tied for the trainer's title with 23 wins.
He won the
Breeders' Cup Mile
The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incepti ...
in 2005 with
Artie Schiller
Artie Schiller (foaled April 23, 2001 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Haras du Mezeray of Ticheville, Orne in Lower Normandy, France, he was out of the mare Hidden Light, a daughter of multiple Grade I winner ...
and the 2007
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to:
*Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible:
**First Epistle to the Corinthians
**Second Epistle to the Corinthians
**Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox)
*A demonym relating to ...
.
In 2009, Jerkens won the
Fountain of Youth Stakes and the
Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Sat ...
with
Quality Road
Quality Road (foaled March 23, 2006, in Virginia) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background
Quality Road was bred and owned by Edward P. Evans. He was sired by Elusive Quality, who also sired 2004 Kentucky Derby/Preakness Stakes winne ...
, making the colt one of the favorites for the
Kentucky Derby. In 2014, he had similar success with
Wicked Strong
Wicked Strong (foaled April 28, 2011 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He established himself as a contender for the 2014 Kentucky Derby with a win in the Wood Memorial Stakes. He finished fourth in both the Kentucky Derby and t ...
, winner of the
Wood Memorial
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memoria ...
and
Jim Dandy Stakes
The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...
.
Later in the summer, he had a rare 1-2 finish in the
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...
with Wicked Strong and winner V.E. Day. His father watched the race on television and later said, "I was screaming at the TV, 'Oh my god, he’s not gonna hang on! They’re gonna catch him!' while my daughter's in front of me jumping up and down. I said, 'Jeez, he got caught right at the end.' She said, 'Yeah, but it’s his horse.'"
Jerkens' star horse in 2015 was
Effinex, who won the
Suburban and
Clark Handicap
The Clark Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Among the oldest races in the United States, it was first run in 1875, the year the racetrack opened for business. C ...
s and finished second to
American Pharoah
American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first ho ...
in the
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
. Jerkens had to be patient and resourceful to get the best out of the four-year-old colt, who trained well in the morning but could become unpredictable at race time. He made several changes including a new bit, custom blinkers and using experienced jockey
Mike Smith.
In 2016, Jerkens won the
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward.
The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Rac ...
with
Shaman Ghost
Shaman Ghost (foaled May 5, 2012) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2015 Queen's Plate and was named Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. In 2016, he won two graded stakes races in the ...
, having already won the
Brooklyn Invitational and
Suburban Handicap earlier that year. "I grew up watching my dad run in all these races when I was a little kid and
awhow important it was – the Brooklyn, the Suburban, the Woodward – because we were New York people and
nNew York racing all our lives," Jerkens said. "It's what we want."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerkens, James A.
1959 births
Living people
American horse trainers
People from Bay Shore, New York