Jerkens Honored at Gulfstream

It was a standing-room only crowd at Gulfstream Tuesday for a memorial service to honor Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens, who passed away Mar. 18. The 60-minute ceremony was organized by conditioner Carlo Vaccarezza, who shared Barn 14 at Gulfstream with ‘The Chief.’ 

“He taught us you could live quietly but speak very loudly,” master of ceremonies and television personality Caton Bredar said. “He was a giant of a man.” 

Allen Jerkens, Jr. delivered a heartfelt speech alongside siblings Steven and Jimmy Jerkens and Julie Schneider and Jimmy’s wife Shirley sang ‘Amazing Grace.’ A 2 1/2-minute video tribute from Gulfstream trainers and jockeys capped by a replay of Onion’s upset of Secretariat in the 1973 GI Whitney H. was also played. 

Jerkens was also honored by his son-in-law Rocky Schneider, Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr., trainer Todd Pletcher, turf writers David Grening and Sean Clancy, and Tom LaPointe, director of chaplaincy programs at Gulfstream. 

Among those attending the service weretrainers and former Jerkens assistants Leah Gyarmati and Chuck Simon, retired announced Tom Durkin, jockeys Edgar Prado and Jose Santos and trainers Leroy Jolley, Carl Nafzger, Nick Zito, Dale Romans, Rick Violette, Ian Wilkes, Jose Garoffalo and Shug McGaughey; and owners Joseph Shields, Jr., a longtime Jerkens client, and Ken and Sarah Ramsey.