Here's the kicker: Jesk has owned harness horses for only three years.
"I had friends that were involved in the racehorse business and they kept encouraging me to become involved, so eventually I did," Jesk said. "Once I started coming to the races, I decided I wanted to become an owner in a big way and do things right, so I teamed up with the Ledfords and started buying horses."
Born in Blue Island, Illinois and raised in Oak Forest, Jesk owns a construction company that specializes in erecting cellular towers for such companies as AT&T. Jesk has also been active in community and state politics, and served as the former Mayor of Oak Forest for ten years.
"When I first started talking with the Ledfords about putting together a top-notch stable, I was firm in the belief that we needed our own place," Jesk recalled. "Initially I relied on Eric and Seldon as to what type of facility we needed. We looked at a number of existing properties in the area and then decided on Southwick, when it became available. After we had the property, we then invested in a strong group of two and three-year-old horses."
In addition to Southwick's half-mile training track, Jesk added a pool and a sand track (located inside the existing oval), and added another barn to the property.
"There were already six barns on the property that have 18 stalls each," Jesk said. "We have renters in all of those, but I wanted a private barn just for our horses."
The Jesk and Ledford barn features 45 stalls, and is roomy and airy. The other six barns are home to the horses of trainers Ken Rucker, Jim Eaton, Perry Smith and Mike Arnold.
"We really wanted to get into the business on a series basis," Jesk noted. "Illinois is the top agricultural state in the union and could be at the top of the harness game as well, with a little more effort on the part of the state."
"Jim had bought Southwick just before the horseman's strike," driver Eric Ledford said. "Because of our association and partnership with Jim, I had made the decision to leave the Meadowlands and return to the Chicago circuit full-time. But when the strike came about, I decided to stay and race at the Meadowlands until it ended. I moved my family back to Crete, and my parents ended up buying a home in Crete too."
