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National Museum Of Racing And Hall Of Fame Reopens On Sept. 5

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will reopen to the public on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 9 a.m. The Museum has been closed since January for the installation of a new state-of-the-art Hall of Fame experience as well as multiple new and updated exhibitions. The Museum has put in place a number of enhanced safety protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is a Saratoga Cares Stay Safe Pledge institution with a commitment to the health of Saratoga County residents, workers, and visitors.

The Museum will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new signature film, What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame, will initially be shown at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. daily. Per New York State health policies, the Museum will open with a maximum of 24 visitors admitted every two hours. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets online at www.racingmuseum.org beginning Aug. 31. Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the Museum and the floor has been marked to create an easy-to-follow route through the building, with added markers reminding guests to practice social distancing. Face coverings are mandatory for all guests. Museum members have special access to make reservations before the general public beginning today through Aug. 28. Members wishing to do so are invited to call (518) 584-0400 ext. 109.

“We're very excited to be open to the public and have the opportunity to share with everyone all the incredible projects that we've been working on,” said John Hendrickson, the Museum's president. “We set out with an ambitious goal of being the best and most interactive hall of fame in the country. I believe we have accomplished that goal. Our great sport deserves a showcase venue that everyone can be proud of. This is a game-changer for the Museum and it is everything we hoped it would be when we began the process to reimagine and enliven our institution. The Museum is now an essential destination that can't be missed.”

What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame is a 16-minute film that brings viewers on an amazing journey through the various aspects of thoroughbred racing and examines the rare honor — given to less than one percent of the sport's participants — of reaching the game's pinnacle and earning a coveted spot in the Hall of Fame. The immersive theatrical experience conveys the exhilaration of the sport of thoroughbred racing in America, the passion behind the heritage of the game, and the thrill of exploring the stories of “what it takes” to be among the greatest of the greats in the Hall of Fame.

Filmed and produced by Donna Lawrence Productions of Louisville, Ky., and narrated by famed broadcaster Bob Costas, What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame, features original footage shot in 8K resolution from various racetracks and thoroughbred farms throughout the country. Numerous Hall of Fame inductees are highlighted in revealing interviews about their experience in the sport and what it took for them to earn racing's highest honor. Hall of Famers featured include Bob Baffert, Javier Castellano, Angel Cordero, Jr., Pat Day, D. Wayne Lukas, Richard Mandella, Chris McCarron, Shug McGaughey, Bill Mott, Carl Nafzger, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, and John Velazquez, among others.

Following the film, guests are invited to learn about the careers of the Hall of Fame inductees on the theater's nine interactive stations. Each of the 459 Hall of Fame inductees are represented through an in-depth digital plaque, media gallery, and achievements page. More than 100 videos and 2,100 photographs are included in the interactive Hall of Fame exhibit with more media content to be added and updated regularly. Each visitor will be provided a stylus with admission to use on all the touchscreen interactive exhibits throughout the Museum.

Along with the new signature film and interactive Hall of Fame experience, the Museum has made several other exciting new additions and updates. Some of those include:

Race Day Gallery

The Museum's new Race Day Gallery provides both a gateway to build excitement for the Hall of Fame experience and a transition for visitors following the show. Three areas of the racetrack experience are featured — The Paddock, The Track, and The Winner's Circle — introducing visitors to the essential elements of a day at the races.

The Paddock section explores the relationship between racehorses and their human connections prior to a race. Artifact cases showcase the equipment used during races, while large graphics and a slideshow of images from the Museum Collection illustrate the beauty of various paddocks at American racetracks. The Track section is where America's most famous racing venues are highlighted, noting their historical significance through the use of imagery, graphics, and artifacts that showcase the unique characteristics of each course. A cross-section of racing surfaces is also on display in The Track to educate visitors on the unique composition of America's racetracks. The Winner's Circle area allows visitors the opportunity to bask in the joy and glory of being a champion while viewing memorable winner's circle photographs and an historic trophy from the collection. The Winner's Circle also provides a memorable photo opportunity with a sculptural horse and rider.

The Race Day Gallery also features a mural by artist Greg Montgomery and a lush soundscape that adds detail and ambiance to the experience through the use of traditional sound elements found at the track, including famous race calls.

Call the Race

Museum guests will have the opportunity to call some of the sport's most famous events just like a professional track announcer in a new interactive exhibit located in the Race Day Gallery. Featuring an introduction by legendary racecaller Tom Durkin, Call the Race provides guests an opportunity to study the race's video before making the call. Each race is digitally recorded and can be downloaded to keep and relive the experience and share with others.

The Jockey Club Gallery

Since 1894, The Jockey Club's primary responsibility has been the maintenance of “The American Stud Book,” ensuring the integrity of the thoroughbred breed in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The new Jockey Club Gallery transforms the Museum's previous changing special exhibition space (Contemporary Racing Gallery) into a new exhibition devoted to The Jockey Club and its contributions to racing in America. As part of the Hall of Fame Education Experience, The Jockey Club Gallery will feature artifacts and archival materials from The Jockey Club's collection on loan to the Museum and two interactive touchscreen stations filled with multimedia content on the history of the organization, the services it provides the racing industry, selected race footage and statistics, and the digitized certificates of registration and foal photographs (submitted in the registration process) of some of the sport's greatest thoroughbreds.

The Paintings of Martin Stainforth

British-born Martin Stainforth (1866 ̶ 1957) began his career as a wood engraver but turned to illustration before moving to Australia in the early 1900s. He took an interest in the thoroughbred racing scene in 1911 while living in Sydney and became known as the preeminent equine artist in Australia, receiving portrait commissions from owners and racing associations.

Known for his realism and ability to capture the personality of his subjects, Stainforth moved to the United States in the mid-1920s and continued to paint the likenesses of some of the top racehorses of that era, including the Hall of Fame members featured in this Museum collection spotlight exhibition in the Link Gallery.

Photo Finish: Juried Photography Exhibition

Amateur and professional photographers from across North America submitted 183 photographs for consideration in our call for submissions, with the only requirement being that their images must reflect the sport of thoroughbred racing in America. This second annual Photo Finish exhibition in the Museum's von Stade Gallery features 45 photographs by 34 photographers from 13 states and one Canadian province. An additional 26 photographs will be featured in the online exhibition, bringing the total representation of this second annual exhibition to 71 photographers from 19 states and one Canadian province.

Edward P. Evans Gallery current exhibitions

The Edward P. Evans Gallery showcases treasures from the Museum's permanent collection and honors the legacy of Mr. Evans and his passion for the sport of thoroughbred racing with a series of thematic trophic exhibits. Current featured exhibits include:

Selections from the Edward P. Evans Trophy Collection
The Triple Crown
Selections from the James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons Collection:trophies from the Hall of Fame trainer's career, including the trophy won by Nashua in his 1955 match race against Swaps at Washington Park
The Legacy of Man o' War: trophies won by descendants of Hall of Fame legend Man o' War, including the 1937 Triple Crown trophy won by his son War Admiral
The Grand National: examples of trophies from the American and British editions of this major steeplechase event
Tiffany & Co. in the National Museum of Racing Collection
A Salute to Hollywood Park
*NEW for 2020* Seventy Years Ago: highlighting the racing achievements of 1950 and showcasing trophies won by Hall of Fame Pillar of the Turf George D. Widener, Jr. (including the 1950 Travers Stakes trophy won by Lights Up) and the 1950 San Juan Capistrano Handicap trophy won by Hall of Fame horse Noor, among others.

McBean Gallery current exhibitions

Located off of the Museum Lobby, the McBean Gallery is the Museum's main special exhibitions gallery and hosts three distinct exhibitions. Current featured exhibits include:

Women in Racing:featuring an interactive exhibit, a timeline of firsts, artifacts, photographs, and artwork from the Museum Collection and on loan, this special exhibition honors the women involved in every aspect of thoroughbred racing in America, including the seven who are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame Heroes: this semi-permanent exhibition celebrates the horses, trainers, jockeys, and Pillars of the Turf who made the sport of thoroughbred racing what it is today, with art, memorabilia, and multimedia on display. Hall of Fame Heroes also features trophies from the John Nerud collection.
Paintings from the Charles H. Thieriot Collection: this permanent exhibition features paintings by masters of British sporting art, including two monumental works by John E. Ferneley, Sr.

New Gift Shop

The Museum's Gift Shop has been completely redesigned and features an extensive selection of racing-themed products, including clothing, books, photography, artwork, items related to Hall of Fame members, and much more. Museum members always receive 15 percent off their purchases.

For more information about the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, including upcoming events, please visit www.racingmuseum.org or call (518) 584-0400.

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‘She Knows How To Win’: Rushing Fall Gives Brown Fifth Consecutive Diana Triumph

Trainer Chad Brown continued his domination in the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana, watching as 7-5 favorite Rushing Fall ran down pace setter Mean Mary approaching the stretch and held off her rival by a neck on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Brown won the 1 1/8-mile turf contest for older fillies and mares for the fifth consecutive year and record sixth overall as e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Rushing Fall was forwardly placed by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who kept her just off Mean Mary in second position through the opening quarter-mile in 23.60 seconds, the half in 48.38 and three-quarters in 1:11.90 on the firm inner turf course.

Out of the final turn, Rushing Fall made a strong move to challenge Mean Mary from the outside, with the rivals dueling in the straightaway before Rushing Fall gained the slight edge and hit the wire in 1:45.88, capturing her third consecutive graded stakes victory.

“The plan was to go to the lead. I broke out of the gate and tried to send to dictate the pace, but Mean Mary never took up and tried to take the lead,” Castellano said. “I tried to ride smart, it's a mile and an eighth and I thought it was smarter to save something for the end. Today, we were very fortunate.

“I rode her like she was the best filly in the race,” he added. “She's very tactical. She doesn't have to be on the lead, she can come from behind also, but I didn't see much other speed in the race, so we tracked the other filly every single step of the way and when I asked her, she responded. She knows how to win. I'm so lucky to ride her because she's one of the best fillies I've rode in my life.”

Rushing Fall notched her sixth career Grade 1 victory and won for the 11th time in 14 career starts overall and has been a Grade 1-winner at ages 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The 5-year-old More Than Ready mare, who won the 2017 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, improved to 3-for-3 in 2020, adding to her scores in the Grade 3 Beaugay in June at Belmont Park and the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley last month at Keeneland.

Brown won the Diana's previous two editions with Sistercharlie, who defeated Rushing Fall by 1 3/4 lengths last year to give their trainer the exacta. On Sunday, Rushing Fall won for the second time in three career starts at the Spa, returning $4.80 on a $2 win wager and improving her career earnings to $2.55 million.

“It means a lot. This is a very important race that we point for every year and we've been fortunate through the years to have horses that really fit,” said Brown, who also won the Diana with Lady Eli [2017], Dacita [2016] and Zagora [2011]. “She's a great horse and she ran a super race today.”

Brown praised Rushing Fall's superlative 2020 campaign after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 First Lady in October at Keeneland.

“She knows how to win. She's a remarkable horse,” Brown said. “This is a horse that has won Grade 1s in four straight years. This is very rare company to do this. She's a horse of a lifetime for anybody – for an owner, for a trainer, for racing. We're very fortunate that [owner] Bob Edwards put her back in training. Her last race of the year last year was not good, she's worth a lot of money and they could easily have sold her and bred her. They gave her the time off and we sent her down to Stonestreet in Ocala like we do every winter where they do a fantastic job and then my team got a hold of her and took it from there. They executed like they always have, and the filly really came through. She's special.”

Alex G. Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary, the 2-1 second choice, finished 2 ½ lengths ahead of Sistercharlie for second. That marked the sixth time trainer Graham Motion has saddled the Diana runner-up, adding to a string of near-misses that includes Ultra Brat losing by a nose to Sistercharlie in 2018 and Quidura [2017], Shared Account [2010], and Sweet Talker [2006] all losing by a head. Aruna was beaten 1 ½ lengths for second in 2011.

“I got nice fractions early and then at the half-mile we started to get going,” said Mean Mary jockey Luis Saez. “Everyone came to me and she fought them. She got beat running.”

Sistercharlie, the 2018 Eclipse Award winner as Champion Turf Female, saw her bid to become the first three-peat winner of the Diana thwarted but still finished in third to earn blacktype for the 15th consecutive start. Brown said he's hopeful the effort prepares her for a return engagement in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on November 7 at Keeneland.

“I thought she took a nice step forward towards the Breeders' Cup today,” Brown said. “This course is very speed-favoring. It's hard to imagine a scenario, no matter what the pace is, where she is going to be able to make up that much ground. It's just the way it's played all meet.

“I can see her rounding into form right at the right time,” he added. “I was disappointed that she wasn't right there at the wire but not discouraged that can't get on track for the Breeders' Cup. It's a good step forward.”

Starship Jubilee and Call Me Love completed the order of finish. Secret Message, also conditioned by Motion, was scratched at the gate.

Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a nine-race card that features the $85,000 Mahony for sophomores going 5 ½ furlongs on turf in Race 7 at 4:12 p.m. First post is 12:50 p.m with an allowance steeplechase race.

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Shadwell Mile ‘Would Make A Lot Of Sense’ For Halladay After Fourstardave Victory

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Harrell Ventures' Halladay was in good order following his gate-to-wire victory in Saturday's Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which was a first graded stakes win for the gray son of War Front.

The six-time winner broke a step slow but quickly found his footing and commanded the pace of the one-mile event over the Spa's inner turf from start to finish, holding off a challenge from defending winner Got Stormy.

Halladay arrived at the Fourstardave off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch, where he took back and stalked the pace, and finished 1 1/2 lengths to frontrunning winner Somelikeithotbrown.

“I was very happy with the way he looked this morning,” Pletcher said. “It took him a few strides to get his legs underneath him, but once he did, he did everything easy. It appeared on paper that we were the primary speed, so our strategy was to go ahead and let him do his thing. If someone were to have gone cruising we could have adjusted, but he made the lead the way he did and moved comfortably after not getting off to a great break, but once he got to the first turn, he moved excellent.”

Pletcher said the turf was not as kind to frontrunners during the early portion of the meet, but that it has become fairer as the season has progressed.

“At the very beginning it didn't seem like it was, but now that things have balanced out it's become a more fair turf course,” Pletcher said. “I was happy to see him handle some give in the ground. When it rained in the morning, I was concerned because I think he's even better on firm ground, but he seemed to handle that just fine yesterday.”

In winning the Fourstardave, a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event, Halladay earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on November 7 at Keeneland.

Pletcher said Halladay could return in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on October 3 at Keeneland.

“We're in no rush to make a decision but the Shadwell would make a lot of sense if we decide that we want to run between now and the Breeders' Cup,” Pletcher said.

Never worse than fourth in 14 starts, Halladay capped off his 3-year-old season with a victory in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park before winning the Sunshine Forever on May 9 at the South Florida oval.

The win also marked 23 straight years Pletcher has won a Grade 1 dating back to 1998.

Grade 1 winner Basin worked a half-mile in 48.33 seconds Sunday on the main track.

Owned by Everett Dobson's Cheyenne Stables, the son of second crop sire Liam's Map will point towards Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam.

Basin will be making his debut for Pletcher after previously being campaigned by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

“I was pleased with his work this morning, so right now the plan is the Amsterdam,” Pletcher said. “We'll see how he responds to the cutback in distance and make a decision on what's next after that.”

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Rushing Fall All Heart As Brown Wins Fifth Straight Diana

Star turf mare Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) avenged a loss as the favorite in last year’s GI Diana S. Sunday at Saratoga, wearing down pacesetting Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) in a thrilling stretch duel to earn her sixth Grade I victory. The win also gave trainer Chad Brown a remarkable fifth consecutive score in the Diana and sixth overall.

Named a ‘TDN Rising Star’ for her impressive debut victory at Belmont three seasons ago, the e Five Racing Thoroughbreds colorbearer backed that up with a victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Reeling off a trio of Grade I triumphs in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., Longines Just A Game S. and Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. from fall of 2018 to last spring, she couldn’t quite go with champion stablemate Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) when runner-up in last year’s Diana. Producing her only dud thus far with a fourth in the GI First Lady S. to close out her 4-year-old campaign, the bay bounced back with a conquest of the GIII Beaugay S. in her seasonal bow before a successful, course-record-setting title defense in the Jenny Wiley last out.

Favored per usual, though not by a large margin as Mean Mary attracted robust interest as the close second choice, Rushing Fall broke sharply following a gate delay that resulted in the late scratch of longshot Secret Message (Hat Trick {Jpn}). Allowing her main rival to go on with it heading into the clubhouse turn under Javier Castellano, the multimillionaire traveled in a clear second up the backstretch behind modest fractions of :23.60 and :48.38. Moving up to the leader’s flank as the quintet bunched up through three-quarters in 1:11.90, she drew on even terms nearing the lane and the top pair sped away from the other three soon after straightening for home. Sticking her nose in front for the first time at the sixteenth pole, Rushing Fall narrowly did the better work from there and struck the wire a head to the good, securing her 11th success in 14 career trips to the post. It was 2 1/2 lenghts back to Sistercharlie in third.

“She knows how to win. She’s a remarkable horse,” Brown said. “This is a horse that has won Grade Is in four straight years. This is very rare company to do this. She’s a horse of a lifetime for anybody–for an owner, for a trainer, for racing. We’re very fortunate that [e Five’s] Bob Edwards put her back in training. Her last race of the year last year was not good, she’s worth a lot of money and they could easily have sold her and bred her. They gave her the time off and we sent her down to Stonestreet in Ocala like we do every winter where they do a fantastic job and then my team got a hold of her and took it from there. They executed like they always have, and the filly really came through. She’s special.”

The final running time of 1:45.88 represented the third-fastest clocking in the 82-year history of the Diana, behind Hard Not to Like (Hard Spun)’s 1:45.22 in 2015 and Hall of Famer Waya (Fr) (Faraway Son)’s 1:45.40 in 1978.

“The plan was to go to the lead,” Castellano said. “I broke out of the gate and tried to send to dictate the pace, but Mean Mary never took up and tried to take the lead. I tried to ride smart, it’s a mile and an eighth and I thought it was smarter to save something for the end. Today, we were very fortunate. I rode her like she was the best filly in the race. She’s very tactical. She doesn’t have to be on the lead, she can come from behind also, but I didn’t see much other speed in the race, so we tracked the other filly every single step of the way and when I asked her, she responded. She knows how to win. I’m so lucky to ride her because she’s one of the best fillies I’ve rode in my life.”

“It means a lot,” Brown added of his fifth straight Diana win. “This is a very important race that we point for every year and we’ve been fortunate through the years to have horses that really fit. She’s a great horse and she ran a super race today.”

Pedigree Notes:

One of 203 stakes winners, 91 graded stakes winners and 24 Grade I winners for More Than Ready, Rushing Fall is the third black-type performer out of Autumnal, a $260,000 purchase at Keeneland November in 2007. The 18-year-old mare, a full-sister to GSP Sisti’s Pride out of GSP Marie J, produced a full-brother to Rushing Fall Mar. 24. Third dam In My cap was a five-time stakes winner in Canada and is responsible for the dam of GISW Albert the Great (Go for Gin). This is also the female family of recent GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. winner Night Ops (Warrior’s Reward).

Sunday, Saratoga
DIANA S.-GI, $485,000, Saratoga, 8-23, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:45.88, fm.
1–RUSHING FALL, 124, m, 5, by More Than Ready
              1st Dam: Autumnal, by Forestry
                2nd Dam: Marie J, by Mr. Prospector
                3rd Dam: In My Cap, by Vice Regent
‘TDN Rising Star’ ($320,000 Ylg ’16 FTSAUG). O-e Five Racing
   Thoroughbreds; B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding (KY);
   T-Chad C. Brown; J-Javier Castellano. $275,000. Lifetime
   Record: 14-11-2-0, $2,553,000. *1/2 to Milam (Street Sense),
   SW & MGSP, $239,651. Werk Nick Rating: B.
   Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mean Mary, 120, f, 4, by Scat Daddy
                1st Dam: Karlovy Vary, by Dynaformer
                2nd Dam: The Right Pew, by Pulpit
                3rd Dam: Packet, by Polish Navy
O-Alex G. Campbell, Jr.; B-Alex G. Campbell, Jr. Thoroughbreds,
LLC (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $100,000.
3–Sistercharlie (Ire), 124, m, 6, by Myboycharlie (Ire)
                1st Dam: Starlet’s Sister (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Premiere Creation (Fr), by Green Tune
                3rd Dam: Allwaki, by Miswaki
(€12,000 Ylg ’15 AR15). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Ecurie Des
Monceaux (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
Margins: NK, 2HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.40, 2.10, 3.25.
Also Ran: Starship Jubilee, Call Me Love (GB). Scratched: Secret Message. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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