National Museum of Racing

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) hosted its second Annual Kentucky Derby Kick-off Reception on Capitol Hill this week, the organization said in a release Friday. On hand were more than 600 attendees, including many congressional staffers from the offices of Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-06), Congressman Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC-05) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY-20). For the event, the National Museum of Racing lent the Count Fleet Triple Crown and Kentucky Derby trophies, and Coolmore provided halters worn by Triple Crown Winners American Pharoah and Justify. This...

Secretariat's birthday will be celebrated Saturday, March 30 with a special children's event hosted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY. The afternoon, which will run concurrently with the final day of the Museum's exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown, will feature a showing of the 2010 Disney film starring Diane Lane along with a variety of children's activities. Fans are welcome to an Easter egg hunt and will have the opportunity to color silks and design a birthday card....

The sixth annual Photo Finish juried exhibition hosted at the National Museum of Racing is now accepting submissions from professional and amateur photographers. Hopefuls are encouraged to submit up to two entries relating to Thoroughbred racing in America. These include, but are not limited to, racing and training scenes, backstretch shots, life on the farm, and crowd emotions. Creative and unique perspectives are also encouraged. Applications are available at the Museum's visitor services desk as well as digitally here. A panel of judges from racing and arts communities will select...

Turf writers Dick Jerardi, Paul Moran, and John L. Hervey have been selected to the National Museum of Racing's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, the museum announced via press release Tuesday. Jerardi grew up in Baltimore and graduated from the University of Maryland with a journalism degree and a minor in history. He attended his first GI Preakness S. in 1973 and became immersed in the game by frequenting the betting windows at Pimlico, Bowie, Laurel, and Timonium almost daily from 1977 to early 1985. He began authoring freelance...

The European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders' Association held its series of Autumn Meetings at the John Lambton Rooms, National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket Nov. 23. A number of matters were discussed at the Autumn Meeting, including the need for an emergency import license for the Equine Viral Arteritis vaccine, known as ARVAC to be granted for Europe's breeding nations. Agreeing to show its support for applications by our country members, the objective is to ensure ARVAC is made available for the start of the 2024 thoroughbred breeding season. EFTBA...

Fernando Toro, who was officially inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame Aug. 4, will be presented his Hall of Fame plaque and jacket in a special ceremony at Del Mar Saturday, Aug. 19. Toro, 82, a resident of Carlsbad, Calif., was unable to attend the traditional induction ceremony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He will be recognized at Del Mar after the running of the GI Del Mar Oaks, a race Toro won twice during his career. Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. will present Toro...

Keeneland Library Director Becky Ryder will retire as of Oct. 31, 2023, following better than a decade at the helm of the Thoroughbred information repository and public research facility, and Roda Ferraro, who formerly served as Head Librarian at Keeneland Library and recently curated its popular The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers exhibit, has been named her successor. Ferraro will serve as the incoming Library Director effective immediately and will work alongside Ryder as she transitions to retirement this fall. Ryder began her career as a college student...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, located in Saratoga, will host a "Countdown to the Breeders' Cup" program Saturday, Oct. 29. Jeff Carle, a former jockey and trainer, as well as a public handicapper, and Michael Veitch, a chairman of the Museum's Hall of Fame Historic Review Committee, a member of the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, and a turf writer with extensive credits, will provide analysis and predictions for each of the 14 races. Brien Bouyea, the Museum's communications officer, will serve as the event moderator....

Edited Press Release The New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will highlight the career and accomplishments of the renowned cartoonist Pierre "Peb" Bellocq during a ceremony at Belmont Park Saturday, July 9, as part of the Stars and Stripes Racing Festival. In 2020, Bellocq was selected to be a member of the National Museum of Racing's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, NYRA and the Racing Museum have yet...

Maureen Mahoney, who has worked in a variety of capacities at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame since joining the institution in 2015, has been named the Museum's Development Director. A native of Glens Falls, N.Y., and a graduate of Skidmore College, Mahoney will lead the Museum's development and sponsorship initiatives and assume a prominent role in special events, marketing, and outreach. "Maureen will do an excellent job as the Development Director," said Cate Masterson, the Museum's Director. "In her time here she has updated the donor...

Daily Racing Form national correspondent Jay Privman and the late turf writers Walter Haight and Jack Mann have been selected to the National Museum of Racing's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor. Privman, 62, a resident of Carlsbad, Ca., covered his first race in 1980--Spectacular Bid's victory in the Malibu Stakes--while in college at California State University, Northridge, and working part-time for The Los Angeles Daily News. Privman worked for The Daily News full-time from 1981 through 1991, then became West Coast editor for The Racing Times (1991 to 1992)...

In partnership with ThoroFan, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will host "Trivia Night at the Museum" Monday, Aug. 23. Retired NYRA announcer Tom Durkin will serve as "Quizmaster" for the event which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Contestants can compete individually or as a maximum four-person team. Prizes will be awarded. Tickets are $15 for museum members and $25 for non-members. Tickets include two drinks and light food and are available here. Visit ThoroFan for more information.