Oaklawn trainer Jinks Fires to be honored as 'Living Legend'

Jinks Fires, an 85-year-old trainer based at Oaklawn, will be honored as a ‘Living Legend’ during the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association annual convention March 3-7.

The traveling conference is taking place this year at Oaklawn, which has a hotel and events center. Fires will be honored on March 5.

Jinks Fires has served on the board of the Arkansas HBPA for decades and it’s just one of the reasons he’s being honored, according to Arkansas HBPA president Bill Walmsley.

“The (qualification for) HBPA Living Legend has to be, first, the number of years that he represented the Arkansas HBPA — and still does — as a member of the board,” Walmsley said in a press release from the National HBPA. “And secondly, the fact that in his training career he’s won 1,500 races. Either one could make you a living legend. But the first one is very, very important as far as I’m concerned.

“Jinks has just been the picture of racing. He’s the epitome of what is good about the HBPA.”

Fires brought his family into racing and that group includes Earlie Fires, who would go on to become a Hall of Fame jockey. Jinks Fires registered his most notable career win at Oaklawn, in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby with Archarcharch in 2011.

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