The Hall Inducts Class of '15

Midmorning on Friday, Sam the Bugler called to the post the class of 2015 at the National Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which was held in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, NY. Racing fans and industry professionals packed the pavilion to watch Midlantic trainer King Leatherbury, the late jockey Chris Antley, sprinter Xtra Heat and fan favorite Lava Man lead the way into the Hall of Fame.

The ceremony was emceed by former NYRA announcer Tom Durkin, who noted at the start of the induction that the Hall of Fame ensures that “we will never forget our storied past.”

The induction segued into the traditional reading of the list of returning Hall of Famers. The jockeys represented were Jerry Bailey, Eddie Maple, Leroy Jolley, Edgar Prado, Jacinto Vasquez, Jerry Fishback, Braulio Baeza, Chris McCarron, John Velazquez, Pat Day, Angel Cordero and Bobby Ussery. The trainers were represented by Jonathan Sheppard, Janet Elliot, and Nick Zito.

The late jockey Chris Antley's induction was the emotional highpoint of the ceremony. Antley rode into the winner's circle 3,480 times, including in the 1991 GI Kentucky Derby with Strike the Gold and the 1999 Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. with Charismatic. Antley won the Monmouth Park riding title in 1985, 1986 and 1987, the Saratoga title in 1990 and led all North American riders in 1985 with 469 wins. Antley passed away unexpectedly Dec. 2, 2000 at the age of 34.

Antley was presented by Franklin Smith, who taught Antley to ride as a child in Elloree, South Carolina.

“We're all beside ourselves with enjoyment and we're so proud of what Chris did in his career,” Smith said. “We're just tickled to death to be here today. To say he was a natural–as Tom [Durkin did during the introduction]–he was just that. To say I taught him how to ride–you don't teach someone like him. It just comes naturally.”

Smith noted that it was Chris Antley Day in the small town of Elloree to honor the jockey's accomplishments.

“Back home in our little town of Elloree, today is Chris Antley day,” he said. “We have about 700 people. There are four main roads in the town that come together at a stoplight. Right down the street from the stoplight is a museum that's developed over the last 25 years [to show the] history of the area and the agricultural past. And in that museum, there's a room devoted to Chris. In that room there are pictures and articles about what he did and the Derbys he won and the records he set. We're just proud of that and we're going to take some things back to add to that.”

Smith was joined on stage by Antley's mother Shelly and his wife Natalie Jowett Antley.

“I just wanted to mention something about polarity,” Natalie Antley said. “Chris performed feats that may never be achieved again and just as intensely his actions and decisions off the track sometimes hit such depths that it became tragic. So the other polarity that I want to mention is the opposite of love in fear. Fear leads us down to a place where we judge, where we're angry and where we want to separate ourselves. And love allows us to open to a place where we enjoy and we can find acceptance. I want to thank you for enshrining us in the Hall of Fame and providing a very profound healing opportunity for our family. We've all been shown the power of what happens when you push fear aside and let love in.”

“Blue Collar” Lava Man Gets His Plaque

Co-owner Steve Kenly accepted the induction for California superstar Lava Man (Slew City Slew–L'il Ms. Leonard, by Nostalgia's Star), who he campaigned alongside Jason Wood as a partner in STD Racing Stable. Lava Man was bred by Lonnie Arterburn and Eve and Kim Kuhlmann and began his career in the maiden claiming ranks at Stockton. It took him five starts to break his maiden in the fall of his juvenile career and he was claimed by trainer Doug O'Neill and his connections for $50,000 in the summer of his sophomore year. The dark bay would go on to amass a career record of 47-17-8-5 with over $5.2 million in earnings. Lava Man was a three-time winner of the GI Hollywood Gold Cup and won the GI Santa Anita H., GI Pacific Classic, and the GI Charles Whittingham Memorial H.

“I'd like to thank Jason and Chance Wood, my dad Traci Kenly and team O'Neill,” Kenly said. “I also want to thank [Corey] Nakatani for putting in some amazing rides on Lava Man.”

“In California, he was really the king,” Kenly continued. “He was pretty much unbeatable. You'd look him in the eye and he'd pretty much win every race down the stretch. He was a war horse. We have a lot of blue bloods here today, and he was blue collar. He showed me anything is possible. He took us around the world–we went to Japan, Dubai, New York, Florida. And although we weren't always successful, it was always a good trip for us. It was an amazing experience. Doug O'Neill is quick to give a lot of credit to his team, but he really was a masterful trainer for this horse. He's really an amazing horseman.”

Kenly also showed admiration for Lava Man in his second career as a stable pony for the O'Neill stable. “He's truly the gift that keeps on giving,” he said.

The Heat is Sweet

Co-owners Kenneth Taylor and Harry Deitchman accepted the award for sprinter Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat–Begin, by Hatchen Mat). Xtra Heat was purchased for just $5,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Old Sale in 2000. The bay went on to earn almost $2.4 million during her career, tallying an impressive career record of 35-26-5-2, including 10 graded stakes wins. Some of her most notable victories include consecutive victories in the GII Barbara Fritchie H., as well as the GI Prioress S., GII Genuine Risk H. and GII Vagrancy H.

Deitchman praised trainer John Salzman for his efforts during Xtra Heat's career and noted that, although he tried to get Salzman to attend the ceremony, the old fashioned trainer “has three horses in tomorrow” and opted to stay in the barn.

Deitchman continued, “I'd like to thank all of her fans, especially the ones in Maryland and New York for rooting for her victories. I'd also like to thank Mr. Durkin for his winning call. I'd like to thank Xtra Heat for taking us all over the world. The heat is sweet!”

'King' for the Day

Longtime Midlantic fixture King Leatherbury closed out the ceremony with what seemed more like a standup routine than an induction. Leatherbury's 6,457 wins at the time of his induction ranks fourth all time. The horseman has won the training title 26 time at Laurel, 26 times at Pimlico and four times at Delaware Park. His runners have earned $63,095,462.

Leatherbury was presented by owner Glenn Lane, who said, “His strong instincts and breadth of experience always enabled him to make the best decision possible. That's unchanged to this day, 56 years and 6,400 wins later. To this day, King uses the same energy, the same consistency, the same enthusiasm, the same humor as always.”

Leatherbury slipped on his Hall of Fame blazer and took his spot behind the podium, noting that he was hesitant to get excited about his Hall of Fame nomination.

“I didn't really get excited about it because I've received so many racing awards,” Leatherbury explained. “Every racing award in Maryland I've received, so I had so many awards I wasn't going to be excited about this. Then, I got nominated. Well, once I got nominated I had people coming up to me saying 'you're even-money to get in.' I told them 'any even-money shot can get beat.' After they called up and said 'you've been invited in' and I, naturally, immediately called for a recount. This is truly an honor for me. I'm at a very prestigious table, I'm deeply honored and it's really a tremendous award.”

Leatherbuy, at the age of 82, is the third oldest inductee into the Hall of Fame, behind Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons and Carl Hanford.

“I'm proud, I guess to be the third. It's not the winner, but…”

After wrapping up his nearly 1 -minute long quip-riddled acceptance speech–“I like to tell jokes because I'm old and I can get away with it,” he said at one point–Durkin concluded the ceremony, noting, “And that's why we put King Leatherbury last…no one's going to follow that act!”

Vanderbilt, Whitney Inducted as Pillars of the Turf

The late Alfred G. Vanderbilt, owner of Sagamore Farm, operator of Pimlico Race Course and Belmont Park and chairman of the New York Racing Association, was the first Pillar of the Turf inductee Friday. Vanderbilt, who inherited his mother's Sagamore Farm on his 21st birthday, bred a total of 77 stakes winners, including the champions Bed o' Roses, Native Dancer, Next Move, Now What and Petrify. As director of Pimlico, Vanderbilt coordinated the famous match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral in 1938. Vanderbilt was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969 and received the Eclipse Award of Merit in 1994. Vanderbilt was a regular at the track until his passing in 1999.

Vanderbilt's son, Alfred Vanderbilt III, accepted the induction plaque.

“He was grateful to have lived the life he did,” Vanderbilt explained. “His life was a fine racing life, perhaps, in my opinion, the finest ever.”

John Hay Whitney, owner of Greentree Racing Stable, Greentree Stud and Mare's Nest Stud, was the second Pillar of the Turf inductee for the class of 2015. Whitney was elected to the jockey club at the age of 24, campaigned Preakness and Belmont winner Capot, Belmont winner Stage Door Johnny and Hall of Famer Tom Fool. He was the first president of the Grayson Foundation, founded the American Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and served on the board of trustees of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the New York Racing Association. Peter di Bonaventura, grandson of Whitney, accepted the award.

“He was a loyal friend, a dedicated family man, generous with his money and his heart,” di Bonaventura said. “He died 33 years ago, and, oh man, do I still feel his presence here today, especially in Saratoga.”

Vincent Powers, Billy Kelly Historic Review Honorees

This year, there were two historic review Hall of Fame honorees in jockey turned trainer Vincent Powers and hard-knocking runner Billy Kelly. Powers, born in Westfield, NY in 1892, began his career riding flat races, tallying his first recognized win at Churchill Downs at the age of 15. In 1908, he led the North American jockey standings with 324 wins and repeated that feat the next year. In 1913, Powers relocated to Europe, where he rode jumps races and, upon returning to the States in 1917, continued his steeplechase career. He began training steeplechasers in the 1920s and was the leading steeplechase trainer in North America in 1927.

Billy Kelly (Dick Welles–Glena, by Free Knight) joins stablemate Sir Barton in the Hall of Fame this year. Bred by Woodlawn Farm, he began his career for owner W.F. Polson and trainer William Perkins before being purchased by Commander J. K. I. Ross in 1918 for $27,000 and transferring to the H. Guy Bedwell stable. Billy Kelly had a career race record of 69-39-14-7 with $99,782 in earnings. His wins include the Bashford Manor S., the Flash S., the United States Hotel S. and the Sanford Memorial S. He streaked to seven consecutive wins in his 3-year-old season, and ran well into his 6-year-old year. During his career, Billy Kelly got the better of his Triple Crown-winning stablemate eight times in the 12 races in which they faced each other.