National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

Arrests have been made and one fugitive is still at large in the recent cracking of an alleged theft network that targeted sporting museums between 1999 and 2019. Included in the crime spree was the 2013 smash-and-grab heist of five trophies worth an estimated $400,000 from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. According to the felony indictment, there appears to be no hope for recovering the looted trophies, three of which were solid gold, and one of which was the 1903 Belmont...

Eight new members have been elected this year to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame class of 2023. Jockeys Corey Nakatani and Fernando Toro, via the Historic Review Committee, join racehorses Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), and Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) each in their first year of eligibility. Pillars of the Turf selections this year are John W. Hanes II, Leonard W. Jerome, and Stella F. Thayer. The late Arrogate, whose bankroll of $17,422,600 still ranks him as North America's wealthiest racehorse of all time, won...

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic 1973 Triple Crown sweep, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present traveling and onsite exhibitions honoring the accomplishments and enduring legacy of the famed Meadow Stable colt from May through October. The exhibitions are underwritten by Churchill Downs, Inc., the Maryland Jockey Club, the New York Racing Association, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Virginia Equine Alliance, Dean Dorton Equine, and Godolphin. A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown will journey the same path...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is now accepting submissions for the fifth annual juried photography exhibition, Photo Finish. Entries may be submitted by professional as well as amateur photographers and must relate to the sport of Thoroughbred racing in America. Any aspect of the racing experience may be depicted, including, but not limited to, racing scenes, the backstretch, and emotions of the crowd. Two submissions will be allowed per person. All submissions must be received by June 30. Application forms will be available at the Museum's...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will host a special "Countdown to the Triple Crown" fund-raising event on Saturday. This event, scheduled exactly three months before the 2023 GI Kentucky Derby, will feature hundreds of silent auction items and an online auction of 10 unique items and experience packages to benefit the Museum. Guests can attend the event in person at the Museum from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. or bid on special packages online beginning at noon. To purchase tickets, visit here or call (518) 584-0400....

In partnership with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Tampa Bay Downs will present a screening of the documentary film Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the racetrack in Tampa, Fla. The event is free to attend and open to the public, but advance registration will be required. Beverages and light fare will be available. To register, click here. Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart chronicles the legendary racehorse Mill Reef, who was...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York will play host to a special "Countdown to the Triple Crown" fundraising event on Saturday, Feb. 4. Taking place exactly three months prior to the 2023 Kentucky Derby, it will feature hundreds of silent auction items and unique online auction pieces, plus experience packages, all to benefit the Museum. Guests can attend the event in person from 5 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET or bid on special packages online. The early-bird event at the Museum...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will open a new exhibition, At the Races with Saul Steinberg, in the Link Gallery Jan. 18. Made possible by the Saul Steinberg Foundation, the drawings featured in this exhibition span the period of 1955 to 1959. Three were published in his book The Labyrinth in 1960. One was later published in the 1963 Sports Illustrated article "Steinberg at the Races" that featured scenes at racetracks from Paris to Los Angeles. "We are excited to exhibit the artwork of Saul Steinberg...

Heywood Hale Broun, Bernard Stanley "Bert" Morgan, and Damon Runyon have been selected to the National Museum of Racing's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor. A New York City native, Broun was a prolific broadcaster and journalist who also spent time as an actor, producer of jazz records, and author of three books. He joined the staff of the New York tabloid PM as a sportswriter in 1940. His journalism career was put on pause by World War II, during which time he served in the Army. Following his service,...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's fourth annual Photo Finish exhibition will open in the von Stade Gallery Wednesday, Nov. 2. The exhibit's images will also be available on the Museum's website. Photo Finish features selected amateur and professional photographs that document the entire racing experience, from the farm and the backstretch to the winner's circle. Photographers from 17 states and Ireland are represented in the exhibit. Remi Bellocq, Alicia Hughes, Sally Jeffords, and Tod Marks, served as the judges for Photo Finish, providing representation from the...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY has named Jessica Cloer as Museum Curator and Matt Reichel as Museum Educator. Cloer comes to the Museum with more than a decade of experience working in museums. Since 2013, Cloer has been a registrar at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University, Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Mass., Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and the Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa. Reichel worked...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY-Just like Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) and Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) in 2016, Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Tepin (Bernstein) are entering the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame together Friday in their first year of eligibility. Six years after the no-brainer election package, Hall of Fame voters selected two brilliant race mares of the second decade of the 21st century to join the best-of-the-best club on Union Avenue. Though they excelled on different surfaces, there are plenty of similarities. Both were well-beaten in their career debuts. Both...