A giant legend in our sport ...... The Chief

The thoroughbred racing world lost a legend, a giant in it's sport this past Wednesday evening. H. Allen Jerkens, better known as the "Chief" and also known as the "Giant Killer" past away at the age of 85 in Florida. The youngest inductee to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at age 45 in 1975, he has been a staple in New York racing for decades. This soft spoken, big man trained many great horses throughout the years. His style of training a thoroughbred was a throwback to a long forgotten time. Nowadays, it's hard to appreciate what this man accomplished. Always doing what was best for the animal and achieving the success he did in his career.

I had the pleasure just once to meet the man they called; the "Giant Killer". In 1998 when I started my first year with the Recorder, NYRA brought all the new media people on a special tour of Saratoga Racecourse. That tour included a back stretch trip and on one afternoon when our touring tram stopped by historic Claire Court on Saratoga's barn area, we met the legend. As the tram was making a turn, there was a recognizable figure near the rail who was grazing thoroughbred. That figure was Mr. Allen Jerkens himself, as our tour guide told us over the speaker. Many in our group where younger reporters who weren't that familiar with what this man had achieved in horse racing. But, my keen knowledge of the sport differed from that.

This was the man who upset one of the greatest horses of all time; Secretariat with a horse named Onion in the 1973 Whitney Stakes. This victory named him the "Giant Killer" and soon label Saratoga as the "Graveyard of Favorites". But, Allen was well established long before that victory with multiple victories with his runner; Purple Beau over the great Kelso in 1962. He was 33 years old with those feats and along with his achievements in the early 70's set him up well to become the youngest trainer ever to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame of thoroughbred racing. Later in his career he would train such runners like Devil His Due and Sky Beauty to championship races in the 90's. He still trained horses into 2015 and recently won a stake race at Gulfstream Park just a few week's ago they even named a race after him at the Hallandale oval. The thoroughbred world lost a giant in the history of thoroughbred racing, a void that will certainly never be fulfilled again.

Here's a list of my dozen best three year old runners so far this Triple Crown season. Defects have been quiet until this past week when Texas Red declared from the Triple Crown trail due to foot issues. They are listed in order of achievement this calendar year and with their trainer and next schedule stakes start. 1) International Star (Maker - Louisiana Derby) ~ 2) Dortmund (Baffert - Santa Anita Derby) ~ 3) Upstart (Violette - Florida Derby) ~ 3) Itsaknockout (Pletcher - Florida Derby) ~ 5) American Pharaoh (Baffert - Oaklawn Derby) ~ 6) Carpe Diem (Pletcher - Bluegrass Stakes) ~ 7) Far Right (Moquett - Oaklawn Derby) ~ 8) El Kabeir (Terranova - Wood Memorial) ~ 9) War Story (Amoss - Louisiana Derby) ~ 10) Royal Son (Pletcher - Spiral Stakes) ~ 11) Prospect Park (Sise - Santa Anita Derby) ~ 12) Far From Over (Pletcher - Wood Memorial)