9 horses, 6 trainers, 2 jockeys are racing Hall of Fame finalists

Nine racehorses, six trainers and two jockeys are 17 finalists who will be on the National Museum of Racing’s 2024 Hall of Fame ballot, as chosen by the museum’s Hall of Fame nominating committee.

The finalists are racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude, Gio Ponti, Gun Runner, Havre de Grace, Justify, Kona Gold, Lady Eli and Rags to Riches; trainers Christophe Clement, Kiaran P. McLaughlin, Graham Motion, Doug O’Neill, John Sadler and John Shirreffs; and jockeys Jorge F. Chavez and Joel Rosario. Gun Runner, Justify and Rosario are finalists in their first year of eligibility.

Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. All candidates who receive 50 majority approval from the voting panel will be elected to the Hall of Fame. All of the finalists were required to receive support from two-thirds of the 15-member nominating committee to qualify for the ballot.

Ballots will be mailed to the Hall of Fame voting panel this week. The results of the voting on the contemporary candidates will be announced on Tuesday, April 23. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Aug. 2, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, trainers must be licensed for 25 years, and jockeys must be licensed for 20 years. Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years. All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived at the discretion of the museum’s executive committee. Candidates not active within the last 25 years are eligible through the historic review process.

A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Fairlawn Farm, Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision-Lucky One, by Best of Luck) won the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old filly in 2010. A multiple Grade 1 winner at ages 2 and 3, Blind Luck also was also a Grade 1 winner at 4. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and owned by Hollendorfer in partnership with Mark DeDomenico, John Carver and Peter Abruzzo, Blind Luck posted a career record of 22: 12-7-2 and earnings of $3,279,520 from 2009 through 2011.

A bay colt bred in Kentucky by Kilboy Estate, Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat-Chipeta Springs, by Alydar) won the Eclipse Award for champion turf male in 2009 and 2010 and the Eclipse for champion older male in 2009. Racing from 2007 through 2011, Gio Ponti posted a career record of 29: 12-10-1 and earned $6,169,800. Owned by Castleton Lyons and trained by Clement, Gio Ponti won 10 graded stakes, including seven Grade 1s.

A chestnut colt bred in Kentucky by Besilu Stables, Gun Runner (Candy Ride—Quiet Giant, by Giant’s Causeway) won the Eclipse Awards for horse of the year and champion older male in 2017. Racing from 2015 through 2018, Gun Runner compiled a record of 19: 12-3-2 and earnings of $15,988,500, the second-highest total of any North American-based horse, behind Hall of Famer Arrogate. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for owners Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, Gun Runner’s championship season in 2017 included Grade 1 wins in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Woodward, Whitney and Stephen Foster.

A bay filly bred in Kentucky by Nancy S. Dillman, Havre de Grace (Saint Liam—Easter Brunette, by Carson City) won the Eclipse Awards for horse of the year and champion older female in 2011. Trained by Anthony Dutrow at ages 2 and 3 and by Larry Jones thereafter, Havre de Grace was campaigned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms throughout her career. She was in 2012 retired with a career record of 16: 9-4-2 and earnings of $2,586,175.

A chestnut colt bred in Kentucky by John D. Gunther, Justify (Scat Daddy—Stage Magic, by Ghostzapper) became America’s 13th Triple Crown winner and was voted the Eclipse Award winner for horse of the year and champion 3-year-old male in 2018, winning all six of his career starts in a span of 111 days. Trained by Baffert for owners China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing and WinStar Farm, Justify won his first three starts at Santa Anita, including the Santa Anita Derby (G1) (Note: the result of this race is currently being contested in the court system.) His win over Gronkowski in the Belmont was his final start.

A bay gelding bred in Kentucky by Carlos Perez, Kona Gold (Java Gold—Double Sunrise, by Slew o’ Gold) won the Eclipse Award for champion sprinter in 2000. That year, he set a six-furlong record at Churchill Downs in his Breeders’ Cup Sprint victory. Campaigned by Bruce Headley, who also was his trainer, with Irwin and Andrew Molasky, Michael Singh, et al, Kona Gold raced from 1998 through 2003 with a record of 30: 14-7-2 from 30 starts and earnings of $2,293,384. Kona Gold made five consecutive appearances in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.  

A dark bay filly bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay, Lady Eli (Divine Park—Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado) won the 2017 Eclipse Award for champion turf female. Trained by Chad Brown for Sheep Pond Partners, Lady Eli won her first six starts, including Grade 1 victories in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and 2015 Belmont Oaks. Lady Eli was retired after finishing off the board in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Overall, she posted a record of 14: 10-3-0 with earnings of $2,959,800. Lady Eli won a total of eight graded stakes, including at least one Grade 1 in each of her four years on the track.

A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables, Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy—Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister) won the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old filly in 2007, a campaign highlighted by a historic victory in the Belmont Stakes. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and Michael McCarthy for owners Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, Rags to Riches remains one of only three fillies to win the Belmont. She compiled a record of 7: 5-1-0 and earnings of $1,342,528.

Clement, 58, a native of Paris, France, has won 2,433 races through Feb. 19 with purse earnings of more than $169 million, 11th all time, in a career that began in 1991. He trained three-time Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, and 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist.

Clement began his career in the U.S. in 1991 and sincehas since trained 20 horses that have earned $1 million or more. Clement won his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2021 when Pizza Bianca captured the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

McLaughlin, 63, a native of Lexington, Ky., won 1,809 races with purse earnings of $130,031,267, including international statistics, from 1995 through 2021. He ranks 22nd all time in North American earnings. McLaughlin won three Breeders’ Cup races, and both Lahudood and Questing earned Eclipse Awards for McLaughlin.

Other top horses trained by McLaughlin included millionaires Alpha, A Thread of Blue, Cavorting, Frosted, It’s Tricky, and Wedding Toast. He ranked in the top 20 among North American trainers in earnings 12 times, including six times in the top 10.

Motion, 59, a native of Cambridge, England, has won 2,709 races to date with purse earnings of more than $151 million, 16th all time, in a career that began in 1993. He won the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup with champion Animal Kingdom, trained two-time Eclipse Award winner Main Sequence, and has won four Breeders’ Cup races.

Motion has won 198 graded stakes and has trained 12 horses wjo have earned $1 million or more

O’Neill, 55, a native of Dearborn, Mich., has won 2,861 races to date with purse earnings of more than $160 million, 14th all time, in a career that began in 1988. He won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2012 with I’ll Have Another and a second Derby in 2016 with Nyquist. O’Neill has trained five Eclipse Award winners, I’ll Have Another, Maryfield, Nyquist, Stevie Wonderboy, and Thor’s Echo, and has won five Breeders’ Cup races.

O’Neill won nine graded stakes with Hall of Fame member Lava Man and has won six training titles at Del Mar, where in 2015 he became the first trainer to win five races on a card there.  O’Neill has trained 13 horses who have earned $1 million or more.

Sadler, 67, a native of Long Beach, Calif., has won 2,782 races with purse earnings of more than $149 million, 17th all time, in a career that began in 1978. He has won 188 graded stakes, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Eclipse Award winner Accelerate in 2018 and horse of the year Flightline in 2022. Sadler has conditioned 10 horses who have earned $1 million or more.

Sadler ranks no. 2 all-time in wins at Santa Anita with 1,046 and no. 9 with 89 stakes wins. At Del Mar, he ranks No. 2 in both wins and stakes wins.

Shirreffs, 78, a native of Leavenworth, Kan., has won 575 races, including 107 graded events, with purse earnings of more than $54 million. Although he had a few starters as early as 1978, Shirreffs did not start training full time until 1994. Best known as the conditioner of Hall of Famer Zenyatta, Shirreffs conditioned the four-time Eclipse Award winner to 19 consecutive victories. Shirreffs won the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo at odds of 50-1.

Shirreffs has trained eight horses who have earned more than $1 million.

Chavez, 62, a native of Callao, Peru, won 4,526 races with purse earnings of $161,792,580 from 1988 through 2011. Voted the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in 1999, Chavez won the 2001 Kentucky Derby aboard Monarchos and earned a pair of Breeders’ Cup victories in his career. He ranked in the top 20 in North American earnings 13 times, including six times in the top 10, and finished in the top 20 in wins eight times.

Rosario, 39, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has won 3,586 races with purse earnings of more than $316 million, no. 4 all time, in a career that begin in 2003. The Eclipse Award winner for outstanding jockey in 2021, Rosario has won 15 Breeders’ Cup races as well as the Kentucky Derby in 2013 with Orb and the Belmont Stakes in 2014 with Tonalist and 2019 with Sir Winston. He has won 408 graded stakes, including 113 Grade 1 events, and has ranked in the top 10 in North American earnings 15 times and in wins four times.

Chaired by Edward L. Bowen, the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee is composed of Bowen, Caton Bredar, Steven Crist, Tom Durkin, Bob Ehalt, Tracy Gantz, Teresa Genaro, Jane Goldstein, Steve Haskin, Jay Hovdey, Alicia Hughes, Tom Law, Jay Privman, Michael Veitch and Charlotte Weber.