JESS JACKSON, OWNER OF CURLIN AND RACHEL ALEXANDRA, PASSES AWAY

**Please see the attached photo of Jess Jackson leading Rachel Alexandra into the winner’s circle after the 2009 Woodward at Saratoga Race Course. Credit NYRA, Adam Coglianese**

 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

 

Contact: Dan Silver

dsilver@nyrainc.com

 

 

JESS JACKSON, OWNER OF CURLIN AND RACHEL ALEXANDRA, PASSES AWAY

 

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Prominent thoroughbred owner Jess Jackson, whose Stonestreet Stable campaigned Curlin and Rachel Alexandra to five Grade 1 victories on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit, passed away Thursday at his home in Geyserville, Calif.

 

Jackson, who was 81 at the time of his death, founded the Kendall-Jackson Winery and was one of the most successful independent winery owners in the world. He was inducted into the Vintner Hall of Fame in 2009.

 

“Jess Jackson was a true sportsman with a great passion for thoroughbred racing,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward. “His smart and ambitious management of Curlin and Rachel Alexandra’s racing careers resulted in a number of unforgettable performances at Belmont Park and Saratoga. 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. It will not be the same without his presence at the NYRA tracks, and he will be deeply missed throughout the industry.”

 

Curlin and Rachel Alexandra combined to win three Horse of the Year awards and developed large followings as two of the most popular horses to ever race at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

 

Curlin, who earned more than $10.5 million on the track, won seven Grade 1 races including the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in 2007 and 2008 and the 2008 Woodward at Saratoga. Additionally, he captured the 2007 Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the Dubai World Cup in 2008.

 

Rachel Alexandra, who is currently in foal to Curlin, set a stakes record in the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont Park in 2009, winning by an astounding 19 ¼ lengths and stopping the clock in 1:46.33.

 

In what may have been her most impressive performance, Rachel Alexandra punctuated her 2009 Horse of the Year campaign by becoming the first filly to defeat older males in the prestigious Woodward. After setting fast opening fractions of 22.85 and 46.41, she held off Grade 1 winning closers Macho Again and Bullsbay to emerge victorious by a narrow head.

 

Jackson is survived by his wife, Barbara Banke; five children, Jennifer Hartford, Laura Giron, Katie Jackson, Julia Jackson and Christopher Jackson; and two grandchildren, Hailey Hartford and MacLean Hartford.

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