Stonestreet Stable:
On April 21, 2011, the horse racing and wine industries lost businessman Jess Jackson at the age of 81 after a long battle with melanoma. Racing under the Stonestreet Stables name, Jackson is best known as the owner of 2008-2009 Horse of the Year Curlin and 2010 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, and the founder of Kendall-Jackson Winery. Jackson started in racing in the 1960's in partnership with his uncle Dr. I.B. Ballenger, but waited until 2003 to immerse himself in the ownership business. he purchased Buckram Oak Farm in Lexington and renamed it Stonestreet, which is both his father's name and his middle name.
Curlin and Rachel Alexandra:
The horse which put Jackson in the "big leagues" was Curlin, purchasing a share in the horse from Midnight Cry Stable after the son of Smart Strike won his debut at Gulfstream in January 2008. Curlin went on to win the Preakness, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Breeders' Cup Classic, and came back the following year to win the Dubai World Cup and Jockey Club Gold Cup to earn back-to-back Horseof the Year titles. In 2009, he purchased Rachel Alexandra after she won the Kentucky Oaks, and she went on to beat males in the Preakness, Haskell, and Woodward to become the 2010 Horse of the Year.
Other important horses:
Most of his horses race under trainer Steve Asmussen. At the time of his death, he had Triple Crown nominated Astrology, as well as Kensei, Albergatti, Captain Cherokee, Kantharos and Omniscient. He owns over 100 broodmares spread over his various farms, most famously Rachel Alexandra who is currently in foal to Curlin, a mating of his two Horses of the Year, as well as Maggy Hawk, the dam of Afleet Alex. He also owns interests in Afleet Alex, A.P. Indy, Awesome Again and Ghostzapper. During his final months, he made few appearances in the winner's circle, and was represented by his wife Barbara Banke.
Criticism of the industry:
In 2005, he sued three of his former bloodstock advisers, alleging that the agents had defrauded him by inflating the prices of horses they sold to Jackson and taking secret commissions from sellers on the purchases. The litigation led him to lobby the Kentucky legislature, resulting in a 2006 law in the state explicitly outlawing the practice of undisclosed dual agency in horse sales.
Wine business:
Jackson made his fortune in wines. He is noted for popularizing California Chardonnay, which he initially produced on a converted pear and walnut orchard in Lakeport, CA. In 1982, he produced his first bottle of wine under the Kendall-Jackson label. This decidedly unique Chardonnay was an instant hit with consumers. In 1983 the wine won the first double Platinum Award ever presented by the American Wine Competition. In 2009, Jackson was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame, and he released a special Rachel Alexandra Pinot Noir to raise money for the V Foundation for cancer research.
Personal Life:
Jess Jackson was a one-time longshoreman and police officer, who put himself through
University of California Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school. Raised in San Francisco during the Great Depression, Jackson worked as a farmer, policeman, and land-use lawyer, before embarking on the wine business in 1974. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Banke, and five children: Jennifer Hartford, Laura Giron, Katie Jackson, Julia Jackson and Christopher Jackson and two grandchildren, Hailey Hartford and MacLean Hartford.
Tributes:
NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward said, "Jess Jackson was a true sportsman with a great passion for thoroughbred racing. Rachel's extraordinary 2009 Woodward victory in front of more than 30,000 cheering fans at Saratoga remains one of my best memories in racing." NTRA President Alex Waldrop said, "Jess Jackson left an indelible mark on Thoroughbred racing in a relatively short period of time. He was outspoken in his calls for a high degree of integrity in our sport and industry. But he will perhaps be best remembered for his exploits as head of Stonestreet Stables."
Additional tributes:
Robert Evans, chairman of Churchill Downs said, "Mr. Jackson set a high standard for Thoroughbred horse ownership in the United States and abroad, and his competitive spirit made for some of horse racing’s most memorable moments this century." Owner-breeder Earle Mack said, "Every Thoroughbred owner will benefit from the transparency Jess Jackson brought to our sales in North America. Jess was of a generation that didn’t let problems lie. When many of us were reluctant to get involved, he led the way with true courage and our industry is so much better today for his actions."
