Jackson, James (horse trainer)
(born: 1946)James Jackson, from Lexington, KY, and the son of Lucian Jackson, was the first African American trainer to saddle a starter in the Kentucky Oaks: Gallant Secret placed third in the 2005 run for the Kentucky Lilies.
Jackson was the leading trainer in Michigan for 25 years; he left Kentucky when he was 22-years old, seeking better opportunities in Detroit. He became the nation's sixth leading trainer in 1996 and in 1995 was 3rd in number of wins.
Jackson and his family moved back to Lexington in 1998 but he later returned to Hazel Park Raceway in Michigan.He was 72-years old when the Hazel Park Raceway closed April 5, 2018. The race track had been open for almost 70 years.
For more see M. Walls, "Back in state, back in the money - trainer Jackson gains notice by lighting up the board," Lexington Herald-Leader, 10/20/2001, Sports section, p. D1; Ted Kulfman, "Jackson back on top at Hazel Park," Detroit News, 8/14/2014 online at PressReader.com; Thoroughbreds ‘Hung Out To Dry’: Hazel Park Closure ‘Blindsided’ Horsemen, online at Paulick Report, 4/15/2018; and Jeff Seidel, "Hazel Park Raceway closure causes ripple: 'You don't do people like this'", Detroit Free Press, 4/15/2018, online.