Moving Tribute to Marylou Highlights Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2019 COMPETITIVE FIELD SET FOR WHITNEY MOVING TRIBUTE TO By Christie DeBernardis MARYLOU HIGHLIGHTS Saturday=s prestigious GI Whitney S. at Saratoga has drawn top-class runners from around the world, who are looking to HALL OF FAME secure a spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders= Cup Classic, in what is sure to be a memorable renewal. MGISW and INDUCTION CEREMONY >TDN Rising Star= McKinzie (Street Sense) ships in from the West Coast for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Winner of the GI Pennsylvania Derby and GI Malibu S. last term, the bay came up just a half-length short of the late Breeders= Cup winner Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) in the GII San Pasqual S. Feb. 2 and was just a nose shy of MGISW Gift Box (Twirling Candy) after a gritty stretch battle in the GI Santa Anita H. Apr. 6. Returning to winning ways with a dominant score in the GII Alysheba S. on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard, he was a close second after a tough trip in the GI Met Mile at Belmont last time June 8. Cont. p5 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY THREE KING GEORGE TITLES FOR BATTAASH Favored Battaash made it three straight wins in the G3 King John Hendrickson sitting beside the chair left empty in honor of his George S. at Goodwood on Friday. late wife Marylou Whitney, featuring the Hall of Fame blazer she was Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. set to receive and a Marylou Whitney rose | Horsephotos by Joe Bianca SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--When the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame revealed its 2019 inductees, one name stood out even amongst a slew of legendary ones in the Pillars of the Turf category: Marylou Whitney. That induction took on even greater and solemn significance in light of the recent passing of the AQueen of Saratoga,@ and an emotional tribute to Whitney by her husband and museum president John Hendrickson was the most memorable moment of a star-studded induction ceremony Friday morning at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs. After a moment of silence was observed for Whitney in the packed house, Hendrickson started his opening remarks by saying simply, AThis is gonna be a hard day.@ Gathering himself, he went on to talk about the upcoming renovations to the museum, scheduled to be finished by the summer of 2020. A goal of $20 million in donations was set for the new immersive and interactive exhibits, of which approximately half has been raised so far. Cont. p3 MILLION-DOLLAR . In the last 5 years, no active sire has more 2yo sale toppers: $1,800,000 ’19 F-T Midlantic $1,300,000 ’19 OBS April $1,200,000 ’18 F-T Gulfstream $900,000 ’19 OBS June The world’s only sire of 4 million-dollar 2yos in 2019: $1,800,000 $1,500,000 $1,300,000 $1,000,000 INTO MISCHIEF www.spendthriftfarm.com PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Saturday, August 3, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Bellafina (Quality Road), entered in Saturday's GI Test S., walks at the barn after Social Media Strategist galloping on Saratoga's main track Friday morning. | Sarah Andrew Justina Severni Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes CONCRETE ROSE WIRES THE SARATOGA OAKS 12 [email protected] Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) took her 2019 record to four-for-four with a front-running victory in the inaugural Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Saratoga Oaks Friday, the second leg of the Turf Tiara. Director of Information Technology TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Ray Villa [email protected] EST Race Click for TV 10:00a Qatar Lillie Langtry S.-G2, GOO -------------- TVG Bookkeeper 3:21p Troy S.-GIII, SAR TJCIS PPs FS2 Terry May [email protected] 4:55p West Virginia Governor’s S.-GIII, MNR TJCIS PPs TVG 5:06p Longines Test S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs FS2/NBCSN WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 5:35p West Virginia Derby-GIII, MNR TJCIS PPs TVG International Editor 5:46p Whitney S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs FS2/NBCSN Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 7:00p Sorrento S.-GII, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG European Editor 8:30p Yellow Ribbon H.-GII, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 16 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 3, 2019 Hall of Fame cont. from p1 Hendrickson said, ABy the end, I believe we will have the best sports Hall of Fame in the world,@ and master of ceremonies Tom Durkin added, AThis place is gonna be jumping. This is the most exciting thing to happen to the museum since we laid the cornerstone in 1955.@ Soon after, Whitney was inducted into the Pillars of the Turf, and Hendrickson once again took the stage to pay tribute to his late wife. Holding a Marylou Whitney Rose, the flower named in her honor, Hendrickson spoke briefly but eloquently: AShe said the sport of horse racing gave her the most incredible life, and she was extremely grateful. I want to thank all of you for loving Marylou. She loved the sport, and all of you, with her entire heart. So let us not cry because it=s over. Let us smile because it happened. God bless you, and God bless Marylou.@ John Hendrickson pays tribute to Marylou Whitney | Horsephotos Will Farish was the first living Pillar of the Turf to be inducted Friday, and before the speech, Durkin asked him to take off his suit jacket and put on the Hall of Fame blazer. ABrooks Brothers makes nice jackets, but this one=s gonna have to go,@ Durkin quipped. AIt has been both the horses and the people that enriched our lives,@ Farish said. He talked particularly fondly of the many partnerships he=s had along the way, specifically with his Adear friend Watts Humphrey, which continues today.@ He also reminisced about A.P. Indy and talked about the current Lane=s End stallion roster, saying, AThe future of the farm is extremely bright.@ The first equine inductee of the day was the remarkable 17-time stakes winner My Juliet, with regular rider Tony Black accepting on her behalf with a heartfelt speech. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 16 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 3, 2019 Hall of Fame cont. After giving credit to the mare=s groom, Jim Maloney, for his work, Black said, AShe came in an era of the women=s rights movement, which was just starting to get strong in the 1970s. She was never intimidated by gender. She beat the boys, and she beat the girls.@ Comparing her to television=s Bionic Man, he added, AWe called her the bionic filly, because after they put two screws in her cannon bone, that=s when she reached the pinnacle of her career.@ Black went on to talk about wanting to visit My Juliet before she died at age 29, to Ajust put my hands down her neck one more time, and say, >Julie, you did so much for me. I love you.=@ He never got that chance, however, and he closed by saying, AThat taught me to tell someone their real value when they=re here, not just when they=re gone. I didn=t get to see her one last time, but wherever you are, thank you so much.@ Jockey Craig Perret, a winner of over 4,400 races in his career, was the lone contemporary human inductee, and he gave an entertaining and emotional speech that included harkening back to when he first got into racing, and out of school. AMy foundation came from my father, he knew my passion for the horses,@ Perret said. AHe also knew I was getting real bad in school, and he=d find me at the racetrack on lunch breaks. He said, >You don=t want to do your schoolwork?= He sent me to the farm, where I learned the horses and everything about them AAfter I won the Derby, I thought, >My goals have been and loved it. Then, I wasn=t lost in the world figuring out where I reached. I=m done,=@ he said. AI wasn=t done riding, but I thought, was going next. I had one thing on my mind: the racetrack.@ >I don=t need nothin= from this game now.= Until another thing Perret talked about the feeling of accomplishment he got after come along. I finally got in off the also-eligible list, and look winning the GI Kentucky Derby aboard Unbridled in 1990, a where I=m at now.@ feeling matched only one more time in his life, when he got the He also mentioned the one moment that sticks with him after news he would be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.