The Harness Horse Breeders of New York State (HHBNYS) has announced that longtime Standardbred owner Ken Jacobs will receive the 2018 Bruce Hamilton Memorial Medal.
Jacobs is the kind of person anyone loves to have involved in harness racing because unlike many who view the sport with a dollars-and-cents mentality, Jacobs is not involved in this sport for investment only. He is also a fan who loves to carry the message of harness racing with him where ever he goes.
A lifelong resident of Baldwinsville, New York, Jacobs has always had an interest in horses. After buying an antiquated electric motor plant in 1981 and turning it into a North American industry-leading state of the art manufacturer of electric drive motors, he found some time to pursue his love of the sport.
In 1993 Jacobs bought his first horse – a $2,500 claimer at Vernon Downs. From there it didn’t take long for him to turn his attention to buying yearlings that were staked; in particular to the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) program.
Through spending hours on research and doing his “due diligence” for every sale, Jacobs became very adept in his selections and as a result, has had a long run of picking successful yearlings who have become big time winners.
Names like Rita J (Bettors Delight-Road Sign $193,012), Kenneth J (Bettors Delight-Advantest $1.56 million), Hes Gorgeous (Art Major- So Ravishing $743,844), Heston Blue Chip (American Ideal-Shot Togo Bluechip $1.78 million) and Walner (Chapter Seven-Random Destiny $567,652) have not only made an impression on the racing scene in the state, they have helped keep New York-breds in the forefront of the sport on the Grand Circuit.
Jacobs cares about his horses beyond what they do on the track as well. He is very particular in the way they are treated no matter how they perform. In a previous interview Jacobs stated, “I’m not like some other owners who just want the money. I want what’s right for the horse. And every horse I have gets the same thing regardless how they perform. They are all very special to me.”
Jacobs also cares about the community he lives in and supports many charitable causes and organizations. He does not want any credit for doing well for others; he feels it’s his duty to give back where he can because he has been blessed himself.
For decades, Jacobs has brought the best he could to the track and has always supported the sport of harness racing. He has been involved hands-on through supporting breeding in the state, but he also goes the extra mile to promote harness racing whenever he can.
Through talking to fans at the track, bringing non-racing acquaintances to the races or grabbing random people and children from the crowd to go out for win pictures, his friendly personality and affable demeanour make him a true ambassador to harness racing and one of the true ‘good guys’ in the industry.
Ken Jacobs will receive his award on Sunday, December 2 during the NYSS Awards Banquet that will be held at 6 p.m. in the Grandstands Banquet Room at Batavia Downs.
The Bruce Hamilton Memorial Medal is presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to harness horse racing and the improvement of breeding Standardbred horses in the State of New York. It is presented in honour of Bruce Hamilton who was the 18-year executive secretary of Harness Horse Breeders and guided the New York Sire Stakes program through some of its most exciting and challenging years. Hamilton was instrumental in uniting racetracks, horsemen and breeders in pursuit of video lottery terminals and the eventual passage of the gaming law in 2001.
(HHBNYS)