Celebrity chef and racing owner Bobby Flay will deliver the keynote address at the National Museum of Racing’s 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday, Aug. 12, at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public.
Flay studied at The French Culinary Institute, where he earned the first “Outstanding Graduate Award” in 1993. After working at several New York City restaurants, Flay developed his unique style of American Southwestern fare. He opened his first restaurant, Mesa Grill, in 1991. Mesa Grill was honored in 1992 with the “Best Restaurant Award” by New York magazine.
Flay has also enjoyed success in the Thoroughbred industry as an owner. Flay won this year’s Prioress Stakes (gr. I) with Her Smile and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IIT) with More Than Real.
The National Museum of Racing’s 2011 Hall of Fame class includes horses Duke of Magenta, Open Mind, Safely Kept, and Sky Beauty; jockey Shelby “Pike” Barnes; and trainers Matthew Byrnes and Jerry Hollendorfer.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be televised on HRTV and streamed live on the Internet at www.racingmuseum.org.