August Belmont II, Paul Mellon to be inducted into Hall of Fame

August Belmont II

Esteemed sportsmen August Belmont II and Paul Mellon have been selected as the inaugural Pillars of the Turf inductees into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Belmont II and Mellon will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with jockey Calvin Borel and the Thoroughbreds Housebuster, Invasor, Lure, McDynamo, and Tuscalee on Friday, Aug. 9. The ceremony will be held at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion at 10:30 a.m. It is open to the public and free of charge.

Belmont II was born in 1853 and spent the first four years of his life at The Hague, where his father was serving as U.S. Minister to the Netherlands. He later graduated from Harvard and went into the family banking business before having a profound influence on racing.

Upon his father’s death in 1890, Belmont II became heavily involved with racing and took over August Belmont & Co., a New York City bank. He also served as chairman of the board of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and director of the National Park Bank.

Belmont II bought seven of his father’s mares at a dispersal auction and continued his father’s practice of raising horses at Nursery Stud in Kentucky. Belmont II bred more than 100 stakes winners, including seven champions: Man o’ War, Beldame, Rock View, Friar Rock, Hourless, Mad Hatter, and Chance Play. Belmont II sold his entire 1917 yearling crop, including Man o’ War, because of his involvement in World War I. At the age of 65, Belmont II served his country in Spain with the Quartermaster Corps, procuring supplies for the American forces.

Before and after his military service, Belmont II was deeply entwined in the workings of American racing. He was associated with William Collins Whitney in the revitalization of Saratoga in the early 1900s, and also served as chairman of both The Jockey Club and the New York Racing Commission. Belmont II was among the founding members of The Jockey Club, in 1894, and served as chairman from 1895 until his death in 1924. He was also a founding member of the National Steeplechase Association in 1895 and organized the Westchester Racing Association that same year.

In 1905, Belmont II opened Belmont Park on Long Island, N.Y. That year, the Belmont Stakes, inaugurated in 1867, and named in his father’s honor, was transferred from Morris Park to Belmont Park. Belmont II won the prestigious race in 1902 with Masterman, and in 1916 and 1917 with Friar Rock and Hourless, respectively.

Away from the track, Belmont II founded the Interborough Rapid Transit Company in 1902, helping finance the construction and operation of New York City’s first underground rapid transit line. He also spent much of his personal fortune on the construction of the Cape Cod Canal.

After his death in 1924, fellow members of The Jockey Club expressed their admiration for Belmont II: “He loved the horse as an animal and saw in racing an opportunity for raising the standard and improving the qualities of the thoroughbred, thus adding to the prosperity of the breeder and furnishing broader avenues for clean and honest sport.”

Time magazine said Belmont II “is credited with having saved thoroughbred racing when it was at its lowest ebb in the East.”

Mellon was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1907. After graduating from Yale in 1929, he went to work for Mellon Bank, which was founded by his grandfather, Thomas, and later passed to his father, Andrew, who served more than a decade as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Mellon later joined the U.S. Army, serving in the Office of Strategic Services in Europe, where he earned four Bronze Stars.

Mellon began racing under the banner of Rokeby Stables in 1948. His horses won more than 1,000 stakes races and had total earnings in excess of $30 million. Mellon won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder in 1971 and 1986. Among his many exceptional runners, Mellon campaigned Hall of Fame members Arts and Letters and Fort Marcy. Other standouts included Kentucky Derby and Travers winner Sea Hero, Belmont winner Quadrangle, and champions Key to the Mint and Run the Gantlet.

Along with his success in America, Mellon had a prominent European division of horses, including champions Mill Reef, Glint of Gold, and Gold and Ivory. Virginia-bred Mill Reef won the Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, among other Group 1 events. Mellon is the only individual to win the Kentucky Derby, Epsom Derby, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Mellon was a trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and one of only six individuals to be named an Exemplar of Racing by the Museum. He was inducted into the English Jockey Club Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Mellon also served as vice chairman of The Jockey Club, director of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, and maintained key leadership and support roles with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the National Steeplechase Association.

A noted philanthropist, Mellon donated many priceless works of his art collection to various museums, one of which, the Yale Center for Sporting Art, he also paid to have built. He donated and bequeathed millions of dollars to support equine research and Thoroughbred aftercare programs. He also received the Eclipse Award of Merit. Mellon died in 1999 at the age of 91.

Belmont and Mellon were selected as finalists by the Museum’s Pillars of the Turf Selection Committee and were required to receive 75 percent approval from the committee’s members to gain election.

In an effort to tell a more comprehensive history of Thoroughbred racing in America, the National Museum of Racing’s Executive Committee approved a motion to expand its Hall of Fame with a new category, Pillars of the Turf, beginning this year.

Joining the three original Hall of Fame categories — horses, jockeys, and trainers — the Pillars of the Turf category is designated honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest national level. Candidates must be deemed to have represented the sport with indisputable standards of integrity and commitment through disciplines including, but not limited to, innovation, philanthropy, promotion and education, and breeding and ownership.

A committee of 12 industry experts and historians, under the guidance of Edward L. Bowen, comprise the Pillars of the Turf Selection Committee: Bowen, Christopher Dragone, Jane Goldstein, Ken Grayson, Jay Hovdey, G. Watts Humphrey, Bill Marshall, Bill Mooney, Mary Simon, D.G. Van Clief, Michael Veitch, and Gary West.

National Museum of Racing announces 2013 Hall of Fame inductees

Calvin Borel (Brien Bouyea photo) 

Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel and the racehorses Housebuster, Invasor, Lure, McDynamo, and Tuscalee have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Borel, Housebuster, Invasor, and Lure were selected in the contemporary category, while McDynamo and Tuscalee were chosen by the Museum’s Steeplechase Review Committee. The electees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, Aug. 9 at 10:30 a.m. at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion.

Borel, 46, has won 5,012 races and has purse earnings of $120,859,986 in a career that began in 1983. He is the only jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times in a four-year span, accomplishing the feat with Street Sense (2007), Mine That Bird (2009), and Super Saver (2010). His three victories in the Run for the Roses are surpassed only by Hall of Famers Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack with five each, and Hall of Famer Bill Shoemaker with four.

One of only two riders with more than 1,000 wins at Churchill Downs (Hall of Famer Pat Day is the other), Borel won the Preakness, Woodward, Haskell, Mother Goose, and Kentucky Oaks with 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. Among Borel’s other major victories are the Travers, Alabama, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Sword Dancer, Florida Derby, and Stephen Foster. He also won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2010. Borel has won riding titles at Churchill Downs, Oaklawn Park, Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs, and Delta Downs, among others.

Housebuster (Mt. Livermore—Big Dreams, by Great Above) won 15 times in 22 career starts and earned $1,229,696. He won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Sprinter in 1990 and 1991. Bred in Kentucky by Blanche P. Levy and owned by her son, Robert P. Levy, Housebuster won the Jerome Handicap, King’s Bishop, Spectacular Bid, Swale, Hutcheson, Withers, Lafayette, and Derby Trial in 1990 at age 3 en route to an 8-for-10 campaign. A winner of eight consecutive races at one point in his career, Housebuster won the Carter Handicap, Forego Handicap, and Vosburgh Stakes at 4 in 1991. Eleven of his 15 wins were in graded stakes races. He was trained by Hall of Famer Warren A. Croll, Jr.

Invasor (Candy Stripes—Quendom, by Interprete), was bred in Argentina and won 11 of 12 career starts with earnings of $7,804,070. He was named Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male in 2006 when he won the Pimlico Special, Suburban Handicap, Whitney Handicap, and Breeders’ Cup Classic. At age 5 in 2007, Invasor won the Donn Handicap and Dubai World Cup. He was trained at ages 4 and 5 by Kiaran P. McLaughlin. Prior to that, Invasor won the Uruguayan Triple Crown in 2005 for trainer Anibal San Martin. Following the Uruguayan Triple Crown victories, Invasor was purchased by Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum to run for Shadwell Stable. Nine of his wins were in Grade/Group 1 events.

Lure (Danzig—Endear, by Alydar) won 14 of 25 career starts with earnings of $2,515,289. Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm (Seth Hancock, president), Lure won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1992 and 1993. He won nine graded stakes, including three Grade 1 events. Trained by Hall of Famer Claude R. McGaughey III, Lure set track records at 5 furlongs and 1 mile. He also won the Gotham, Kelso Handicap, Turf Classic, Dixie Handicap, Caesars International Handicap, Elkhorn, Fourstardave Handicap, Bernard Baruch Handicap, and Daryl’s Joy. 

McDynamo (Dynaformer—Rondonia, by Monteverdi (IRE)) won 17 of 34 career starts and retired as the all-time leading earner among steeplechase horses with $1,310,104. He won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase Horse in 2003, 2005, and 2006. Owned by Michael J. Moran and trained by Sanna Hendriks, McDynamo won five consecutive runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Grand National (2003 through 2007), the final one at age 10, to become the oldest horse to win the race. McDynamo set course records in each of his first two Grand National victories. He also won the Colonial Cup three times, including a record performance in 2003. McDynamo’s victory in the 2006 Grand National allowed him to surpass Hall of Fame member Lonesome Glory’s career record for steeplechase earnings.

Tuscalee (Tuscany—Verna Lee, by British Buddy) won 39 of 89 career starts with career earnings of $130,917 while racing from 1963 through 1972. He remains the all-time leader in steeplechase victories with 37. Tuscalee also set the single-year record for steeplechase wins with 10 in 1966. Tuscalee’s 1966 campaign of 10-2-0 from 13 starts garnered him recognition as the Champion Steeplechase Horse by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations. Bred and owned by Alfred H. Smith, Sr., and trained by Joe Aitcheson, Sr., Tuscalee won four editions of the National Hunt Cup, including his final career victory at age 12 in 1972. Tuscalee also won the Georgetown Steeplechase Handicap and the Indian River Steeplechase twice each. Other notable victories included the Midsummer Hurdle, Clark Cup, and Manly Steeplechase Handicap.

The contemporary electees were chosen from a nationwide voting panel comprised of 179 racing writers, broadcasters, industry officials, and historians from a group of 10 finalists selected by the Museum’s Nominating Committee. The Museum’s Steeplechase Review Committee, which meets once every four years, requires 75 percent approval from its members for a candidate to gain election to the Hall of Fame. Following the changes made to the contemporary voting system in 2010 that eliminated a mandate of the top vote-getter in a particular category (i.e. jockey, trainer, male horse, and female horse) being elected to the Hall of Fame, the Steeplechase Committee received approval from the Museum’s Executive Committee to select a maximum of three candidates of their choosing without regard to whether or not the candidate is human or equine.

The Museum will announce as many as two inductees as inaugural selections to the Pillars of the Turf category for the Hall of Fame in May. Pillars of the Turf is a new Hall of Fame designation approved by the Museum’s Executive Committee to honor esteemed individuals who have made valuable contributions to the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

National Museum of Racing announces 2013 Hall of Fame finalists

Five jockeys, four Thoroughbreds, and one trainer comprise the 10 finalists on the National Museum of Racing’s 2013 Hall of Fame ballot, as selected by the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. The candidates are: jockeys Chris Antley, Calvin Borel, Garrett Gomez, Craig Perret, and Alex Solis; Thoroughbreds Ashado, Housebuster, Invasor, and Lure; and trainer Gary Jones.

Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. The four candidates with the highest vote totals will be elected.

The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame’s 16-member Nominating Committee from a total of 86 candidates suggested throughout the year by turf journalists, Thoroughbred industry participants, and racing fans. To be eligible, trainers must have been active for 25 years, and jockeys must have been active for 20 years. Thoroughbreds must have been retired for five 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, but a five-year waiting period is then observed before they become eligible. Candidates not active within the past 25 years are eligible through the Historic Review Committee.

The results of the voting on contemporary candidates will be announced on April 26. The induction ceremony will be held at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs on Friday, Aug. 9 at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

Antley won 3,480 races and had purse earnings of $92,261,894 in a career that spanned from 1983 to 2000. He won 127 graded stakes races and 293 overall stakes. The leading North American rider by wins in 1985 with 469, Antley was a two-time Kentucky Derby winner, taking the Run for the Roses with Strike the Gold in 1991 and with Charismatic in 1999. He also won the Preakness with Charismatic.

Other major victories for Antley included the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward, Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Derby, Alabama, Wood Memorial, Manhattan Handicap, Carter Handicap, Louisiana Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Jerome Handicap.

Borel, as of today, is one victory shy of 5,000 for his career and has purse earnings of $120,044,775. In a career that began in 1983, he has won 286 stakes races and is the only jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby three times in a four-year span, accomplishing the feat with Street Sense (2007), Mine That Bird (2009), and Super Saver (2010). His three victories in the Run for the Roses are surpassed only by Hall of Famers Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack with five each and Hall of Famer Bill Shoemaker with four.

One of only two riders with more than 1,000 wins at Churchill Downs (Hall of Famer Pat Day is the other), Borel won the Preakness, Woodward, Haskell, Mother Goose, and Kentucky Oaks with 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. Among Borel’s other major victories are the Travers, Alabama, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Sword Dancer, Florida Derby, and Stephen Foster. He also won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2010.

Gomez has won 3,713 races and has purse earnings of $200,291,954 in a career that began in 1988. He has won 308 graded stakes and 550 overall stakes. Gomez won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2007 and 2008 and led all North American riders in earnings each year from 2006 through 2009.

Gomez won a record 76 stakes races in 2007 and has 13 Breeders’ Cup wins to his credit, including the 2010 Classic with champion Blame. Among Gomez’s major victories are the Pacific Classic, Travers, Santa Anita Derby, Whitney Handicap, Stephen Foster, Kentucky Oaks, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2011.

Perret won 4,415 races and had purse earnings of $113,837,299 in a career that spanned from 1967 through 2005. He was the leading apprentice jockey in earnings in 1967 and won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1990. Perret won the Kentucky Derby with Unbridled in 1990 and the Belmont Stakes with Bet Twice in 1987.

Along with four Breeders’ Cup victories, Perret also won the Travers, Florida Derby, Haskell Invitational, Coaching Club American Oaks, Jerome Handicap, Withers, Carter Handicap, Wood Memorial, Hopeful, Clark Handicap, and Queen’s Plate. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1988.

Solis has won 4,938 races and has purse earnings of $230,959,903 in a career that began in 1982. He has won 319 graded stakes and 629 overall stakes. Solis has won three Breeders’ Cup races, including the 2003 Classic with Pleasantly Perfect. He won the 1986 Preakness with Snow Chief.

Major victories for Solis include the Santa Anita Derby, Florida Derby, Hollywood Derby, Malibu, Pacific Classic, Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Handicap, Dubai World Cup, Bing Crosby Handicap, Manhattan Handicap, Metropolitan Handicap, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1997.

Ashado (Saint Ballado—Goulash, by Mari’s Book), bred in Kentucky and owned by Starlight Stables, Paul Saylor, and Johns Martin, won 12 of her 21 career starts with purse earnings of $3,931,440. She was named Champion 3-Year-Old Female in 2004 and Champion Older Female in 2005. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Ashado won the Spinaway, Schuylerville, and Demoiselle at 2. At 3, she won the Kentucky Oaks, Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Coaching Club American Oaks, Fair Grounds Oaks, and Cotillion Handicap. In her final season, at age 4 in 2005, Ashado won the Go for Wand Handicap, Ogden Phipps Handicap, and the Beldame.

Housebuster (Mt. Livermore—Big Dreams, by Great Above) won 15 times in 22 career starts and earned $1,229,696. He was named Champion Sprinter in 1990 and 1991. Bred in Kentucky by Blanche P. Levy and owned by her son, Robert P. Levy, Housebuster won the Jerome Handicap, King’s Bishop, Spectacular Bid, Swale, Hutcheson, Withers, Lafayette, and Derby Trial in 1990 at age 3 en route to an 8-for-10 campaign. A winner of eight consecutive races at one point in his career, Housebuster won the Carter Handicap, Forego Handicap, and Vosburgh Stakes at 4 in 1991. Eleven of his 15 wins were in graded stakes races. He was trained by Hall of Famer Warren A. Croll, Jr.

Invasor (Candy Stripes—Quendom, by Interprete), was bred in Argentina and won 11 of 12 career starts with earnings of $7,804,070. He was named Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male in 2006 when he won the Pimlico Special, Suburban Handicap, Whitney Handicap, and Breeders’ Cup Classic. At age 5 in 2007, Invasor won the Donn Handicap and Dubai World Cup. He was trained at ages 4 and 5 by Kiaran P. McLaughlin. Prior to that, Invasor won the Uruguyan Triple Crown in 2005 for trainer Anibal San Martin. Following the Uruguyan Triple Crown victories, Invasor was purchased by Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum to run for Shadwell Stable. Nine of his wins were in Grade/Group 1 events.

Lure (Danzig—Endear, by Alydar) won 14 of 25 career starts with earnings of $2,515,289. Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm, Lure won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1992 and 1993. He won nine graded stakes, including four Grade 1 events. Trained by Hall of Famer Claude R. McGaughey III, Lure set track records at 5 furlongs and 1 mile. He also won the Gotham, Kelso Handicap, Turf Classic, Dixie Handicap, Caesars International Handicap, Elkhorn, Fourstardave Handicap, Bernard Baruch Handicap, and Daryl’s Joy.

Jones won 1,465 races and had purse earnings of $52,672,611 in a career that spanned from 1975 to 1996. He won 102 graded stakes and 233 overall stakes. Jones trained 104 stakes-winning horses, including Turkoman, the 1986 Champion Older Male. Jones trained Turkoman to victories in the Marlboro Cup, Oaklawn Handicap, and Widener Handicap. He conditioned Hall of Famer Best Pal to wins in the Santa Anita Handicap, Oaklawn Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Strub. Jones also trained Kostroma to a world turf record of 1:43 4/5 in the 1 1/8-mile Las Palmas Handicap.

Other major victories for Jones include the Mother Goose, Santa Barbara Handicap, Hollywood Oaks, Del Mar Futurity, Hollywood Futurity, Yellow Ribbon, Swaps, Apple Blossom Handicap, San Antonio Handicap, La Brea, San Felipe, and Norfolk.

Flatterer becomes oldest living Hall of Fame horse of all time

Flatterer surpassed Count Fleet on Monday to become the oldest living Hall of Fame member of all time. (NYRA photo)

Flatterer, the dominant American steeplechaser of the 1980s, officially became the oldest Hall of Fame thoroughbred on Monday at 33 years and 265 days old, passing the former longevity standard of Triple Crown winner Count Fleet, who was 33 years and 264 days old when he died on Dec. 3, 1973.

Flatterer, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994, won 24 of 51 career starts, and at age 8 in 1987 became the frist steeplechase Triple Crown winner when he took home the Grand National, Temple Gwathmey, and Colonial Cup. Flatterer won the Colonial Cup four times and was a four-time Eclipse winner, as well as the 1987 Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase winner. He also set an American record when he carried 176 pounds in winning the 1986 National Hunt Cup.

Trained by Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, Flatterer resides at owner Bill Pape’s My Way Farm in Pennsylvania. Flatterer will turn 34 on June 5.

Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud to celebrate 100th birthday

John Nerud and Dr. Fager (NMR Collection)

Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud, who campaigned such legends as Dr. Fager, Ta Wee, and Gallant Man, will celebrate his 100^th birthday Saturday. Nerud, one of the founders of the Breeders’ Cup, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1972. He is the senior living member of the Hall of Fame.

Nerud trained 27 stakes winners and compiled more than 1,000 wins in a training career that began in 1935 and continued through 1978. He developed the great Tartan Farms breeding program and was instrumental in transforming Ocala, Fla., into a major Thoroughbred center.

“Mr. Nerud enjoyed one of the greatest careers of any trainer in the 20^th century and we wish him a happy 100^th birthday and continued good health,” said Christopher Dragone, the director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. “Mr. Nerud built a reputation that has stood the test of time and he has been a tremendous ambassador for the sport of Thoroughbred racing.”

Born in Minatare, Neb., on Feb. 9, 1913, Nerud developed his first champion, the sprinter Delegate, in 1949. Nerud’s greatest horse was the Hall of Famer Dr. Fager, the 1968 Horse of the Year. Dr. Fager won an unprecedented four championships that year as Horse of the Year, as well as being named the top sprinter, turf horse, and handicap horse. Other champions trained by Nerud include Hall of Famer Ta Wee, Dr. Patches, and Intentionally.

Nerud, who still owns a few active Thoroughbreds, will celebrate his milestone birthday Sunday at the Sands Point Golf Club near his home in Old Brookvillle, N.Y. In an effort to preserve Nerud’s legacy and to allow his friends and admirers an opportunity to send Mr. Nerud a birthday greeting, a website at www.johnnerud.com was developed by LGB, LLC. The site allows its visitors to post comments, anecdotes, tales, myths, stories, and a greeting to the soon-to-be centenarian. The developers are actively encouraging friends and fans alike to pay tribute to one of the living legends of our time.

Hall of Fame trainer Sheppard wins 3,000th race

Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard notched his 3,000^th career victory at Delaware Park on Monday.  The milestone win came in the seventh race when Augustin Stable’s Fugitive Angel won a s 7 1/2-furlong turf allowance by a neck over six rivals.

“It feels good to get the milestone victory and it was nice that happened at Delaware Park,” said Sheppard.

Sheppard notched his first career winner in a steeplechase race with Haffaday in 1966. The 71-year-old native of Ashwell, England, was inducted into National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1990.  He has won six Breeder Cup’s and has trained 12 Eclipse Award champions, including Flatterer (1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986) and Forever Together (2008).

Jockeys to sign autographs at National Museum of Racing to benefit PDJF

 

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present four jockey autograph signings in August with the proceeds to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Jockeys scheduled to appear and sign autographs are 2012 Hall of Fame inductee John Velazquez, Hall of Fame members Edgar Prado and Kent Desormeaux, as well as standouts Javier Castellano, Ramon Dominguez, Rosie Napravnik, Julien Leparoux, Joel Rosario, Jose Lezcano, Mike Luzzi, and Irad Ortiz, Jr. The jockeys will sign color photographs provided by the Museum for $10 each.

The Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund (PDJF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Since its founding in 2006, the PDJF has distributed more than $3 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or brain injuries.

Here is the signing schedule:

• Monday, Aug. 6, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — John Velazquez, Edgar Prado, and Irad Ortiz, Jr.
• Thursday, Aug. 9, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. — John Velazquez, Edgar Prado, Joel Rosario, and Ramon Dominguez
• Monday, Aug. 13, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — Javier Castellano, Rosie Napravnik, and Jose Lezcano
• Thursday, Aug. 16, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Kent Desormeaux, Julien Leparoux, and Mike Luzzi