Nakatani Headlines 2023 Hall of Fame Class

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – At the very least, Aug. 4 will always be a mighty important day in jockey Corey Nakatani's life. For good and bad reasons, but memorable nonetheless.

Exactly, five years after he earned his final victory then suffered career-ending injuries in a spill at Del Mar, Nakatani will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame on Friday morning at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion. The event, which is open to the public, begins at 10:30 a.m.

Nakatani, 52, is a member of the Class of 2023 elected in the contemporary category with three champion horses all in their first year of eligibility: Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) and Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro). Jockey Fernando Toro was elected by the Historic Review Committee. The Pillars of the Turf honorees are John Hanes II, Leonard Jerome, and Stella F. Thayer.

During his freshman year in high school, Nakatani made a visit to Santa Anita Park with his father and discovered the sport that would become his life's work. Soon after, he found a job working around horses, went to jockey school and began building toward a career as a jockey. He made his professional debut at the Stockton Fair in June 1988 at the age of 17, had a couple of mounts at Del Mar and headed south to Aqua Caliente in Mexico, where he picked up his first victory.

In January 1989, Nakatani started riding at Santa Anita and grew into a top rider on the Southern California circuit, winning 10 titles. He won 3,909 races with purse earnings of $234,554,534. Nakatani's resume is topped by 341 graded stakes victories, including 10 in Breeders' Cup races. He ranks No. 14 in career earnings and 11 times finished in the top 10 of annual earnings nationally. The Covina, California native ranks in the top 10 in overall wins and stakes wins at both Santa Anita and Del Mar.

The long list of the accomplishments earned Nakatani a spot in the Hall of Fame, where he will take his place among racing's all-time greats.

“I'm excited about it,” he said. “Obviously, you want to thank a lot of people. There's a lot of trainers you were involved with, but at the end of the day it's for your family. There was a lot of the time you were away from them, at work riding races.

“It's all glamorous and everything, but it's a lot of hard work out there. Dreams come true. If you work hard enough and you're able to be successful at it, then being in the Hall of Fame is once in a lifetime.”

Though he had no background in the sport, Nakatani was the ideal size for be a jockey–he said he weighed 89 pounds as a freshman wrestler–was very athletic and fiercely competitive. Those attributes helped him find success competing against a slew of Hall of Fame riders based in Southern California. He said he went to school on what that gifted group of riders did every day and said Laffit Pincay, Jr. was his idol and mentor.

“To me, he's the best strongest finisher on a horse,” Nakatani said. “When I when I was learning to ride I took a little bit from Laffit, a little bit of Eddie D. [Delahoussaye], a little bit of Chris McCarron, a little bit of Gary Stevens, and [Bill] Shoemaker and put it into one rider. That's the way my mentality was.”

Toro, 82, was a top rider in his native Chile before moving to California in 1966. He retired in 1990 with North America totals of 3,555 victories and purse earnings of $56,299,765. He won 80 graded stakes. At the time of his retirement, he was sixth in stakes wins at Del Mar, eighth at Hollywood Park and tied for eighth at Santa Anita.

Though based in Southern California, Toro won major races all over the United States and in Canada. In Nov. 1983, Toro took over as the regular rider of Royal Heroine for British-born, California-based  trainer John Gosden. A Hall of Fame inductee in 2022, Royal Heroine flourished with Toro up, winning a division of the Hollywood Derby, the Inglewood, the Beverly Hills Handicap, the inaugural Breeders' Cup Mile, and the Matriarch.

Arrogate seized national and international attention on Aug. 27, 2016 when he won the GI Travers S. at Saratoga–his first graded-stakes start–by 13 1/2 lengths with a track-record time of 1:59.36. The Bob Baffert trainee went from that Travers triumph to a half-length victory over California Chrome in a memorable GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The Juddmonte colt easily won the inaugural running of the GI Pegasus World Cup in January 2017, over a field that included California Chrome, and the GI Dubai World Cup in March 2017. He retired at the end of the 2017 season with record earnings of $17,422,600.

“I'll always be remembered for training the only two Triple Crown winners since the 1970s,” Baffert said, “but if Arrogate had made it to the track early enough as a 3-year-old there is a very good chance I would have trained a third. Stride for stride, furlong for furlong, from gate to wire, Arrogate was every bit as good as American Pharaoh and Justify.

In the Dubai World Cup, Arrogate extended his winning streak to seven despite a terrible start that left him at the back of the field of 14. Though Arrogate typically used his speed early in his races, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith did not panic and gave the colt a patient ride. He made his way into contention and managed to beat Gun Runner by 2 1/4 lengths.

Baffert, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee, called it the “greatest performance of any horse I ever trained.”

Arrogate was the 3-year-old male Eclipse Award winner and was named the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2016.

California Chrome, a two-time Horse of the Year, had a great story to go with his remarkable success on the track. The California-bred rose from modest beginnings in state-bred company as a 2-year-old in 2013 to win the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness for trainer Art Sherman. He fell short of the Triple Crown sweep with a fourth-place finish in the GI Belmont S. In 2015, he was second in the Dubai World Cup. Healthy and in top form again in 2016, he won the Dubai World Cup, the GI Pacific Classic and the GI Awesome Again.

When California Chrome was retired after the Pegasus World Cup, he had two divisional titles to go with his pair of Horse of the Year awards, was a Grade I winner on dirt and turf, had 16 wins in 27 starts and earnings of $14,752,650.

Songbird was never worse than second in 15 starts for Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She was good from the start of her 2-year-old season in July 2015, and won 11-consecutive races. Among those scores were Grade I wins in the Del Mar Debutante, the Chandelier, the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies, the Santa Anita Oaks, the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Alabama. Her streak ended in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Distaff where she lost by a nose to Beholder–elected to the Hall of Fame last year–in an epic showdown.

Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Songbird was a two-time Eclipse Award winner who earned $4,692,00 on the track.

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Cecil, Carson to be Inducted into QIPCO British Champions Series HOF

QIPCO British Champions Series announced the late Sir Henry Cecil and William 'Willie' Carson will be formally inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, the official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing, with a special induction ceremony due to take place on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Saturday Oct. 15.

Carson, who turns 80 next month, becomes the fourth jockey to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, after Lester Piggott, Pat Eddery and Frankie Dettori.

Willie Carson was crowned Champion Jockey in Britain five times and his 3,828 winners in the UK included 17 Classic triumphs, four of them in the Derby. Only three other greats have bettered his overall tally: Sir Gordon Richards (4870), Pat Eddery (4633) and Lester Piggott (4493).

He was associated with a bevy of champions, including Troy, Nashwan and Dayjur. He has enjoyed notable success as a breeder, and had the distinction of guiding Minster Son, who he himself bred, to victory in the 1988 St. Leger, making him the first jockey to breed and ride a Classic winner. He served as a broadcaster career following his retirement from the saddle, hosting the BBC's racing coverage following a stint as a captain on Question of Sport.

“It's very humbling because of where I've come from, but here I am, an ex-Champion Jockey, having ridden British Classic winners for Her Majesty the Queen and with four Derby winners,” said Carson. “I have done a few things in my life but being awarded into the Hall of Fame is one of the biggest. It is a big deal to be invited.”

“I am getting old, but I am still enjoying life. I've got the horses to keep me amused, I have the stud (Minster House); it keeps me amused, busy and working. I am still enjoying life because of the horse–the horse keeps me going.”

Also joining a very exclusive club, Cecil becomes just the second trainer to be inducted following Vincent O'Brien.

In 1976, Cecil was crowned champion for the first time, thanks in no small part to Wollow, who won the 2000 Guineas, Eclipse, Sussex S. and Juddmonte International. Cecil won the title again in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1993. Only Alec Taylor, who won the championship a dozen times between 1907 and 1925, has ever been champion on more occasions.

It was 10 years ago to the week that Cecil's most illustrious pupil–Frankel–concluded his undefeated 14-race career with victory in the QIPCO Champion S. on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot. “He's the best I've ever had, the best I've ever seen,” he said. “I'd be very surprised if there's ever been anything better.”

Eight months after Frankel's career finale, Cecil died at the age of 70.

“He was modest, and he would have been surprised to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he would also have felt very honoured,” said Lady Cecil, Sir Henry's widow, who played a key role in the latter part of Sir Henry's career. “I'm delighted as I think he's a very worthy inductee. I hope he will prove to be a popular choice.”

“Henry never understood why or how he was popular. When he had a runner at Newmarket, the reception he got was always amazing. I remember after he died, I was lucky enough to have a winner at Newmarket. The crowd used to come and cheer, and I knew it was for Henry. He was so popular–when I do the Discover Newmarket tours to raise money for the East Anglian Children's Hospice, they come to see Frankel but invariably they talk about Henry. They have so many stories about how Henry chatted to them, the kindness he showed. He was very special.”

Lady Cecil and Willie Carson, who will both attend QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot this weekend, will be presented with a prestigious medal in recognition of the inductions into the Hall of Fame.

Unique to British racing the medals, which were hand-crafted by Asprey, can also be viewed during the day as part of a special Hall of Fame display which will be held within the Grandstand at Ascot. For more information, click here.

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Family Ties Run Deep In Racing For Hall Of Famer Casse

Friday will be a capstone day for Mark Casse and his family when the trainer is inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in a morning ceremony prior to the afternoon races across the street at Saratoga race course. His son Norman, who was his top assistant before going out on his own, and daughter-in-law and TVG analyst Gabby Gaudet could not be prouder.

“It's very exciting. I know this has been one of Dad's biggest goals his entire life so I'm sure he's nervous and excited and we're proud to be a part of that,” said Norm Casse.

Mark Casse was elected in 2020 but his induction ceremony, along with the rest of last year's class, had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the 2020 and 2021 classes will be honored in a combined ceremony, which will be held in the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET

Mark Casse, the 13-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada's Outstanding Trainer who became a member of the Canadian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame in 2016, is only the fourth trainer to be a dual member of both Halls of Fame. He joins Horatio Luro, Lucien Laurin, and Roger Attfield.

“That's pretty good company to be in,” his son said. “Overall, this is an exciting day and it's a really cool group of people and horses being inducted. It's a very special moment.”

The 2020 class includes horses Tom Bowling and Wise Dan, jockey Darrel McHargue, and Pillars of the Turf Alice Headley Chandler, J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., and George Widener, Jr. The 2021 class is comprised of trainers Todd Pletcher and Jack Fisher and 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Norm Casse is a third-generation horseman and the grandson of the late noted horseman Norman Casse. There will likely be a fourth generation as Norm and his wife, Gabby Gaudet, will be welcoming their first child. Fittingly, the baby is due on the 2021 Breeders' Cup weekend.

“This has all been a whirlwind. There's no other word to describe it,” said Gaudet, who was a member of the NYRA broadcast team as an on-air reporter and racing analyst before moving on to a similar role with TVG. “It's been really busy for Norm and for me with all the traveling we've both been doing.”

Gaudet also has strong bloodlines in the sport. She's the daughter of trainers Linda and the late Eddie Gaudet and the sister of trainer Lacey Gaudet. Her family has been a mainstay on the Mid-Atlantic circuit for decades.

“Both of our families are very excited. We're just lucky that we have so much support behind us,” said Gabby. “Unfortunately, my family won't be able to come to the ceremony tomorrow as my Mom is stuck in Maryland and my sister is stuck in Delaware. But we will be there supporting Mark and it will be such an exciting day for him. It's such a big moment. There was so much uncertainty last year and you don't want a moment like that to fall a little flat. I'm happy they're incorporating this year and last year's inductees. This deserves to have its own moment. Luckily, we'll be here for it.”

Mark Casse will look to capture a unique double on Friday when he follows up on his induction by saddling Easy Time in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Race 7 at Saratoga.

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