The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the Saratoga 150 Committee announced a new attraction designed to pay homage to the most accomplished thoroughbreds to compete at Saratoga Race Course during its 150-year history.
The new Saratoga Hoofprints Walk of Fame will honor the most prolific and notable horses to have raced at one of the nation’s most historic tracks. Modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the attraction celebrates the 150th anniversary of thoroughbred racing at Saratoga Race Course.
Saratoga 150 Committee honorary chairpersons Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson were joined by committee Chairman Charles Wait and several senior executives from NYRA to announce the inaugural class of honorees in March at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.
The inductees were announced during a live draw utilizing the Whitney family trophy won by Equipoise in the 1932 Whitney Handicap.
“Celebrating 150 years since the birth of racing would not have been complete unless we honored the historic athletes who helped make Saratoga Race Course the number one race track in the country,” said Hendrickson, who conceptualized the project in conjunction with the Saratoga 150 committee. “I always thought there should be some way to recognize the real stars of the sport and the Hoofprints Walk of Fame will be a unique and educational retrospective of our history.”
The Hoofprints Walk of Fame will be installed in the walkway outside the Clubhouse gates at Saratoga Race Course and will feature an inaugural class of 30 horses. Each thoroughbred will be honored on a granite plaque alongside the names of its sire, dam, owner, trainer, and jockey.
The project is a collaborative effort between NYRA, the Saratoga 150 Committee and the National Museum of Racing. It will be unveiled in advance of the 2013 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.
The thoroughbreds in the inaugural class of inductees of the Hoofprints Walk of Fame are: Affirmed, Alydar, Beldame, Chief’s Crown, Discovery, Duke of Magenta, Easy Goer, Eight Thirty, Emperor of Norfolk, Equipoise, Exterminator, Go for Wand, Granville, Harry Bassett, Heavenly Prize, Henry of Navarre, Kelso, Kentucky, Lady’s Secret, Man o’ War, Native Dancer, Regret, Roamer, Ruthless, Secretariat, Sky Beauty, Tom Fool, Top Flight, War Admiral and Whirlaway.
For more information about the inaugural class of inductees, including each thoroughbred’s lineage and connections, visit www.saratoga150.com.