NYRA: Remembering "The Chief"

Jockeys, trainers, racing officials and employees of the New York Racing Association gathered this afternoon to remember the life of Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens, who passed away yesterday at the age of 85.  A Long Island native who trained hundreds of stakes winners on the New York Racing Association circuit and engineered some of the biggest upsets in racing history, Jerkens was honored with a moment of silence and video tribute prior to the start of the first race at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Additionally, and in recognition of the special relationship between Jerkens and his legion of devoted fans at Saratoga Race Course, New York Racing Association officials will confer with the trainer's family with the goal of building a special day of remembrance and celebration during the 2015 Saratoga meet.

"Allen Jerkens was a giant of a man and a legend of our sport," said Martin Panza, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations. "His loss is felt among all of us at the New York Racing Association, with whom he shared some of his most memorable achievements. Our thoughts remain with Jimmy, Steven and the entire Jerkens family. The Chief will be sorely missed."

The coveted trainer's title at Saratoga was named in honor of Jerkens in 2010, and last year he was joined by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and legendary track announcer Tom Durkin in being honored at the second annual "Red Jacket" ceremony at Saratoga celebrating their achievements in the sport.

"Allen Jerkens was not only universally admired as a trainer, he was renowned for his generosity and kindness to everyone he knew," said Christopher Kay, CEO and President of the New York Racing Association. "We in New York are fortunate to have had him with us for so many years."

Jerkens trained 3,859 winners of nearly $104 million, placing him 11th and 14th, respectively, among trainers all-time.  Due in large part to twice vanquishing the immortal Secretariat, Jerkens earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding North American trainer in 1973. Two years later, he became the youngest trainer ever inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame at the age of 45, despite not yet having trained a champion.

That champion finally came in 1994, when Sky Beauty won the Eclipse Award for Top Older Female. Other notable Jerkens-trained runners include multiple Grade 1 winner Devil His Due, who won the Gotham and Wood in 1992, to go along with the 1993 edition of the Pimlico Special, Suburban, and Excelsior; Believe The Queen, who won the 1984 Tom Fool; Missy's Mirage, who won the First Flight in 1991, and the Shuvee and Hempstead in 1992; and Emma's Encore, who won the Victory Ride and Prioress in 2012.

Jerkens won many of the major stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, except the one that mattered most to him: the Travers, also known as the Mid-Summer Derby, which was won in 2010 and 2014 by his son, Jimmy, also a trainer. His best finish in five Travers starts came with his first entrant, Devil His Due, who was second to Thunder Rumble in 1992.

Despite his renown as a trainer, those who knew him best say his greatest success came with people, not horses. Among the trainers he mentored are Thomas Bush, Leah Gyarmati, Mike Hushion, and his two sons, Jimmy and Steven.

Known reverently by the racetrack community as "The Chief," Jerkens was born on April 21, 1929 in Islip, New York, the son of a former Austrian cavalry captain who owned a riding academy. Jerkens' father enjoyed rehabilitating injured race horses and sending them back to the track, a hobby that influenced Allen to pursue a career as a thoroughbred trainer, although he started out as a steeplechase jockey.

Predeceased by his wife, Elisabeth, Jerkens is survived by three sons, Allen, Steven and Jimmy, a daughter, Julie, and several grandchildren.

Source: NYRA Communications