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A Dozen Finalists Named For Horse Racing Hall of Fame
A dozen to be the 2008 finalists for election to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame. The 12 finalists consisting of 7 horses, 3 jockeys, and 2 trainers were determined by a vote of the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.
Hall of Fame Finalists for Trainers
To be eligible, trainers must be licensed and actively involved with Thoroughbreds for 25 years or have been retired for a minimum of five years. The finalists for Hall of Fame trainers are:
Carl Nafzger, 66, has trained two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled in 1990, and Street Sense in 2007. Both were division champions, as was Banshee Breeze, the outstanding 3-year-old filly of 1998. Unbridled also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1990 and Street Sense was the first winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to win the Kentucky Derby. Through the end of 2007, Carl Nafzger had 1,068 victories from 8,041 mounts, purse earnings of $50,203,640 and 68 graded stakes victories.
Robert Wheeler was a trainer in California until his death in 1992 at the age of 72. Two of his best-known stakes winners were C.V. Whitney’s homebred Silver Spoon, the co-champion 3-year-old filly of 1959, and the filly Bug Brush, winner of six stakes in 1959. Silver Spoon defeated males in the 1959 Santa Anita Derby. In 1960, Wheeler won the Santa Anita Derby for a second consecutive year, saddling the Whitney colt Tompion.
Hall of Fame Finalists for Jockeys
To be eligible, jockeys must be licensed for 20 years or have been retired for a minimum of five years. The finalists for Hall of Fame jockeys are:
Edgar Prado, 40, a native of Peru, whose North American totals through December 31, 2007 were 5,978 victories from 31,188 mounts, 254 graded stakes victories and purse earnings of $200,915,004. He became the 16th North American rider with 6,000 victories on February 10. He won the 2006 Kentucky Derby with Barbaro, the 2002 and 2004 Belmont Stakes with Sarava and Birdstone respectively. His top mounts in 2007 included Grade 1 winners Panty Raid and Scat Daddy, and graded stakes winners Lawyer Ron, Sky Conqueror, King of the Roxy and Kip Deville.
Randy Romero, 50, had 4,294 victories from 26,091 mounts, purse earnings of $75,264,198 and 122 graded stakes wins during a 26-year career than ended in 1999. Randy Romero was the regular rider of the unbeaten champion Personal Ensign and champion Go for Wand. He won three Breeders’ Cup races.
Alex Solis, 43, won his first race in 1981 in his native Panama. Through the end of 2007, he had 4,534 victories from 29,828 mounts, purse earnings of $205,329,599 and 280 graded stakes victories. The California-based rider won the 1986 Preakness Stakes with Snow Chief and has won three Breeders’ Cup races. In 2007, he won the Inglewood, Eddie Read, Charles Whittingham and Del Mar handicaps on After Market, the Sunset on Runaway Dancer and the Honeymoon and Senorita on Valbenny.
Hall of Fame Horse Finalists
To be eligible, horses must be retired for five full calendar years. The contemporary horse categories involve runners active within the last 25 years. Below are the Hall of Fame horse finalists.
Female Contemporary Horses
Inside Information won 14 of 17 starts in her career and earned $1,641,806. In the final start of her career, Inside Information won the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Distaff by 13 lengths, a record that still stands, and completed her championship season with seven wins and one second in eight starts. The daughter of Private Account was bred and owned by Ogden Mills Phipps and trained by Shug McGaughey.
Open Mind was the champion 2-year-old filly of 1988. She earned another title at three with victories in the New York Filly Triple Crown of the Acorn, the Mother Goose and the Coaching Club American Oaks, as well as the Kentucky Oaks and the Alabama. Owned by Eugene Klein and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Open Mind put together a 10-race winning streak that included seven Grade 1 victories. She was retired after two starts as a 4-year-old with a career record from 19 starts of 12 wins, two seconds and two thirds and earnings of $1,844,372.
Silverbulletday, owned by Mike Pegram and trained by Bob Baffert, was the champion 2-year-old filly of 1998 and the champion 3-year-old filly of 1999. She won 15 of 23 career starts and compiled purse earnings of $3,093,207. Her victories included the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Ashland, Kentucky Oaks, Alabama and Gazelle.
Sky Beauty won the New York Filly Triple Crown and the Alabama in 1993 and was champion older filly or mare of 1994. She completed her racing career for owner Georgia E. Hofmann and trainer Allen Jerkens with 15 victories from 21 starts and purse earnings of $1,336,000.
Male Contemporary Horses
Best Pal, bred and owned Mr. and Mrs. John C. Mabee, won 17 stakes from ages two through seven and earned more than $5.6 million. Trained during his long career by Ian Jory, Gary Jones and Richard Mandella, he won most of the top races on the West Coast, including the Santa Anita Handicap, the Hollywood Gold Cup and the Pacific Classic.
Manila, trained by Leroy Jolley for owner Bradley Shannon, was the Breeders’ Cup Turf winner and the male grass horse champion of 1986. The son of Lyphard won 12 of his 18 career races and earned $2,692,799. From July 1986 through August 1987 he won nine consecutive races.
Tiznow, trained by Jay Robbins for owner-breeder Cecilia Straub Rubens, was the 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year in 2000 and the champion older male in 2001. Tiznow won eight of his 15 career starts and earned $6,427,830. The California-bred son of Cee’s Tizzy is the only two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He defeated Giant’s Causeway by a neck in 2000 and Sakhee by a nose in 2001.
Inductees will be announced in April and enshrined August 4 at the Hall across the street from Saratoga Race Course.
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