One of horse racing’s premier trainers, breeders, and owners, Hirsch Jacobs saddled 3,569 winners in his lifetime, more than anyone in the history of thoroughbred racing.
He was known as the “voodoo veterinarian,” having been incredibly
successful at turning confirmed losers into winners for nearly 50 years. Unlike other great trainers, Jacobs bred and trained horses he owned, with his career-long partner, since 1931, Isidor “Beebee” Bieber. His finest year was 1936, when he saddled 177 winners.
Some of the horses Jacobs brought into prominence are Action, Paper Tiger, Hail To Reason, Affectionately, Palestinian, Straight Deal, Regal Gleam, and Stymie, a horse he bought for a $1,500 claiming price. Stymie raced 131 times and won $918,485 by the time he retired in 1949—that era’s all-time money winner.
Horses Jacobs trained earned more than $12,000,000 in purses. He was the top money-winning trainer in the United States in 1946 and 1960—one of only 17 trainers to hold the annual top position more than once. Jacobs led the United States in total number of yearly
winners 11 times from 1933 to 1944, except 1940, when he finished second.
Jacobs was elected to the National Horse Racing Hall of Fame as a trainer in 1958.
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