Jackie Thompson (1926 - 2007) — Award accepted by Daughter, Bridgett Rice
Mr. Thompson was looking for a way to earn a living after his discharge from the military after World War II. Someone suggested that he try blacksmithing since he had experience with horses. When he was about twelve years old, he briefly exercised horses at the Kentucky Association track where his father, Leonard Thompson, had been a groom. Jackie went to see blacksmith George Tompkins who said he would give him a try. Jackie became an apprentice and eventually set up his own business. He would shoe twelve to thirteen horses a day while teaching his skills to other young men.
Thompson was featured in captioned photos in 1958, 1960 and 2001 shoeing horses at Keeneland. He was interviewed for newspaper articles in 2001, “In Their Own Words”, written by Maryjean Wall and in 2005, “A Hand for Hoofs: If the horseshoe fits, thank Jackie Thompson” by Merlene Davis. Thompson shod Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star in 1953; Proud Clarion in 1967; Dust Commander in 1970; Gato Del Sol in 1982 and Swale in 1984. Don Combs, an owner/trainer of Dust Commander, employed Thompson for thirty-eight years. He said of him ‘he’s well-skilled at making just about anything, from special tools to special horseshoes. He is at the top of his profession. He’s very respected in the field.” Thompson was proud and protective of his reputation. Owners and trainers came to him if they had a problem. Thompson was inducted into the Bluegrass Horseshoers Association in 1991 and the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 1992.
Marshall Lilly (1885 - 1975) — Award accepted by Susan Prince
Born in Fayette County, Mr. Lilly shadowed his father who worked for Thoroughbred owner/breeder James A. Grinstead which laid the foundation for success that would span the first half of the 20th century. He began exercising horses for Edward Dudley Brown in the late 1890s. Accompanying Brown to New York in 1901, Lilly remained in the Northeast, working for future Racing Hall of Fame trainer James Rowe, Sr.
Mr. Lilly’s expertise and precision in the saddle made him one of the country’s most sought after exercise riders. He worked some of the premier early 20th century horses, including Sysonby, Peter Pan, Colin, Regret, Upset, Equipoise, and Twenty Grand. When anti-gambling laws sent Rowe’s Whitney - owned stable to England in 1911, Lilly accompanied the Newmarket-based string overseas. When he returned to the Whitneys’ domestic operation, Greentree Stable in New Jersey, Lilly conditioned and managed Greentree’s horses for nearly four decades until his retirement in 1949 as the stable’s assistant trainer.
Lilly is buried with his first wife Simmie Perkins Adams Lilly in Cove Haven Cemetery, in Lexington, Kentucky.
John Everett Collins (1900-1979) — Award accepted by Mrs. Mary Collins
John Everett Collins, known as ‘Johnny”, was apprenticed at age sixteen by Jackie Thompson. Collins was employed as farrier by Lane’s End, Wintergreen, Mill Ridge, Blackburn, Middlebrook, Miacomet, Glencrest, Winter Quarter and other farms. He placed shoes on Kentucky bred Zenyatta in 2005 for the September Yearling Sales and replaced her racing plates in 2010 when she retired to Lane’s End in Kentucky. Collins apprenticed Duane Raglin, now owner of Raglin Farrier Service.
At his sudden passing, those who had known Johnny and worked with him said: “He loved horses, period.”; “He was absolutely at ease with a horse, and they felt it.” ; ”He was a VERY good horseshoer but that fact is not what made him. What made John was the fact that he was such a good person.”; “He’s just one of those people you wanted to be around.”; “He was a class guy. I’m lucky to have known him.”; “The world lost a great person. I was glad to have known him and will miss him dearly.”
Collins was a native of Scott County and son of the late Richard Collins, Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Porter Collins.
Joseph W. Hocker (1938 - 2013) — Award accepted by Daughter, Amira Hocker Young
Mr. Hocker was born in Lexington, KY. He was an outstanding master farrier for over 45 years, who shodded thoroughbred horse winners. He was a co-owner of a horse called Sterling Prospect. Additionally, he was a member of the Board of Horseshoers, a certified CTA in Lexington, Kentucky and National Farriers. Joseph was the first African American Commissioner for the Kentucky Horse Park (for 9½years). Furthermore, he was a Kentucky Colonel and Arkansas Traveler.
He was inducted into the Black Sports Hall of Fame, 2011 Horseshoeing Union and the Blue Grass Board of Horseshoers. He was married to Polly Hocker and father of three children: Amira Young (Jonathan C), Lance (La’Tonya) and the late Joseph.
James R. Jackson
Mr. Jackson was born in London, Kentucky, but moved to Lexington, shortly after that. James said everything he knows about horses, he learned from his father, Lucien Jackson, who trained thoroughbreds, quarter horses and even mules. He said he watched his father win races with crippled horses. So, he was determined to be the best trainer he could possibly be.
Here are just a few of his accolades: 1995, third leading trainer in the nation with number of wins and because of his percentage of wins; Trainer Champion at Detroit Race Course five times with the fall meet in 1987; Michigan Trainer of the Year in 1996; Honored by the African Americans in Horse Racing; Out of 4,222 starts, Jackson accumulated 746 wins for $6,154,934; He placed third in The Kentucky Oaks, with Gallant Secret. James is married to Laura Jackson, who has ridden horses for him and owns horses with him
William Caulder (1915 - 2001) — Award accepted by Mrs. Barbara Mcgraw
Mr. Caulder was known to be fond of strawberry jelly so everyone called him “Jelly” including owners, trainers and others in the industry. After serving apprenticeships with blacksmiths/farriers Ezra Smith and George Tompkins, Caulder struck out on his own. Called by owners and trainers at Calumet, Spendthrift, Stallion Station, Hamburg Place, and other farms, he shod horses for forty-five years. He was known to be especially good at trimming yearlings’ feet. Caulder apprenticed his nephews, William Arthur Raven and LeRoy Thomas, Sr. Mr. Caulder was recognized by the Bluegrass Horseshoers Association in 1991 and inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 1992. He was a trustee of St. Paul A.M.E. Church and at one time chaired the local Human Rights Commission. He served on boards of the Robert H. Williams Cultural Center, Second Street YMCA, and African Cemetery No. 2 where he regularly attended meetings and contributed financially. Caulder’s grandparents Henrietta and Benjamin had been buried there. Benjamin was a ‘free man of color’ in Lexington as early as 1830. William and his sister, Julia, were children of Will and Julia Piersall Caulder. Mr. William Caulder was married to Helen Hardin for fifty-six years. Although they did not have children, a niece and nephews were the young people in their lives. Mrs. Barbara McGraw took care of Aunt Helen and Uncle Jelly in their final years.
Maryjean Wall, Turf Writer/Historian/Author
Ms. Wall worked as a groom and assistant trainer to a pony person but wanted to ride Thoroughbreds as a jockey. Because of gender restrictions, her desire was not fulfilled. So, she decided to write about the equine industry. Of her forty-one years as a journalist, she covered Turf events for thirty-five years. Ms. Wall became a pioneer for female turf writers, forging her path and standing firm for equal rights to interview sportsmen. Ms. Wall wrote a special report in 2001- “In Their Own Words” interviewing now-deceased African American horsemen, Dick Spiller, Tom Harbut and Jackie Thompson. Ms. Wall retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader in 2008. She continues to write articles for the Keeneland Magazine about Kentucky people and places of interest. She earned a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Kentucky. Her published manuscripts – “How Kentucky Became Southern: A Tale of Outlaws, Horse Thieves, Gamblers and Breeders” and “Madam Belle: Sex, Money and Influence in a Southern Brothel” - were released in 2010 and 2014, respectively. Ms. Wall is a recipient of Media Eclipse Awards for the years 1980, 1997 and 1998. She has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize twice. She was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and has received the John Hervey Award for coverage of harness racing. In 2016 her name was added to the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at Saratoga, NY.
(Sources: Muck Rack; University Press of Kentucky; National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame; Lexington Herald-Leader archived articles)
Bill Cooke, Director Emeritus, International Museum of the Horse
Mr. Cooke was born in Harrodsburg, KY. When you listen to the oral history interview of Bill Cooke for the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, you conclude that he was in the right place at the right time. In 1977 he was hired as Director of the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park, a position he held until 2018. At that time, the museum was a giant hole in the ground with an expected date of opening within a year. He was charged with finding artifacts and memorabilia to fill the space. Because the museum was international in scope the world became a field of research and the timeline could stretch backward to the beginning of the species. Thus began his forty-two years of education, research, discovery, adventure, challenges, and rewards. During his tenure, he secured the Calumet Farm trophy collection, directed three blockbuster international exhibits with loans from all over the world including: Imperial China: The Art of the Horse in Chinese History in 2000; All the Queen’s Horses: The Role of the Horse in British History in 2003; and A Gift from the Desert: The Art, Culture and History of the Arabian Horse in 2010. The final exhibition that Cooke oversaw was Black Horsemen of the Kentucky Turf in 2018. As a founding board member of Phoenix Rising Lexington, Cooke has greatly helped bring the accomplishments of African Americans in the horse industry to the attention of the public.
(Sources: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History (https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt731z41v918); Cooke, Bill, interview by Alan Lytle. April 30, 2018, Horse Industry in Kentucky Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.)