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.

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

 

Napravnik, Romans, Muzikar and Veitch to be featured in National Museum of Racing’s Saratoga Preview

Rosie Napravnik (Brien Bouyea photo)

Jockey Rosie Napravnik, trainer Dale Romans, jockey agent Matt Muzikar, and journalist Michael Veitch will be the featured guests at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s annual “Saratoga Preview” on Wednesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. in the Museum’s Hall of Fame Gallery.

The event will feature an audience-driven discussion with the panelists and is free and open to the public. Brien Bouyea, the Museum’s communications officer, will moderate the program. There will be drawings for giveaways from the Museum’s gift shop, including merchandise from EMBRACE THE RACE, The Apparel for the Horse Racing Lifestyle.

Napravnik became the first woman to win the prestigious Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks earlier this year aboard Believe You Can. Her other major victories include the Louisiana Derby, Peter Pan Stakes, Fair Grounds Oaks, and Maryland Million Classic. Through July 9, Napravnik has 1,345 career victories and purse earnings of more than $38 million. The winner of riding titles at Fair Grounds, Pimlico, Laurel, and Delaware Park, Napravnik will be riding regularly at the Saratoga meet for the first time this summer. She currently ranks seventh among North American jockeys in earnings in 2012 with more than $6 million.

Romans won his first Triple Crown event in 2011 when Shackleford captured the Preakness Stakes. Romans also scored a major upset at the 2011 Breeders’ Cup when Court Vision won the Mile at 64-1. In a career that began in 1987, Romans has won 1,553 races and has purse earnings of more than $70 million. At the recently concluded Churchill Downs spring meet, Romans led all trainers in wins and earnings. He has won nine training titles at Churchill Downs and currently ranks fourth among North American trainers in earnings this year with more than $5.6 million. His major victories include the Dubai World Cup, Whitney Handicap, and Metropolitan Handicap. Notable horses trained by Romans include Kitten’s Joy, Paddy O’Prado, Dullahan, Roses in May, and Tapitsfly.

Muzikar, a Saratoga Springs native, has been a jockey agent for 15 years. He currently represents Napravnik and Javier Castellano, who is the leading money-winning jockey in North America so far in 2012. He has also worked for jockeys such as Joe Bravo, Shaun Bridgmohan, Cornelio Velasquez, Eibar Coa, Channing Hill, Aaron Gryder, and Mike Luzzi.

Veitch has been covering horse racing for The Saratogian and its racing supplement, The Pink Sheet, since 1979. He is a former host of “Down the Stretch” on the Capital OTB television network and his writing has appeared in a variety of outlets, including Daily Racing Form. He is the author of “Foundations of Fame: Nineteenth Century Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs.” Veitch is a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee and Historic Review Committee, as well as a member of the Saratoga150 Committee, which is organizing a series of events to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the inaugural Saratoga meeting in 2013.

The 2012 Saratoga Race Course season opens on Friday, July 20 with a 40-day meeting. The track is open six days a week (closed on Tuesdays) with the highlight being the 143^rd running of the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on Saturday, Aug. 25. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily during the Saratoga racing season.

Kentucky Derby party to benefit Old Friends at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will be hosting a Kentucky Derby party to benefit the retired Thoroughbreds at Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, on Saturday, May 5 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $65 and can be ordered through Old Friends by contacting JoAnn Pepper at (518) 698-2377. For more information about the event, sponsorship opportunities, or to donate, please visit www.oldfriendscabincreek.com.

The event will be catered by Longfellows and will feature a cash bar. There will also be numerous contests, such as the “Fancy Hat Contest” and “Fancy Tie Contest.” There will be celebrity judges, a 50/50 raffle, auction items, and giveaways.

Coverage of the 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby can be seen throughout the Museum on high-definition televisions courtesy of Best Buy, as well as in the Hall of Fame gallery on the Museum’s theatre screen in high-definition.