Racing Hall of Fame Ceremony Aug. 9

(from NTRA release)
The National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inducts its 2004 class Aug. 9 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Three humans and three horses receive this year's honors: Trainer Claude "Shug" McGaughey, jockeys Kent Desormeaux and Jimmy Winkfield and Thoroughbreds Bowl of Flowers, Skip Away and Flawlessly.

As trainer for the Phipps family and others for nearly 20 years, Shug McGaughey has trained eight champions. They included Personal Ensign, who he directed through an unbeaten career of 13 races over three years, climaxed by her narrow victory over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff. This was one of eight Breeders' Cup victories for McGaughey.

Kent Desormeaux won his first race in 1986 and the following year was the Eclipse Award winner as the top apprentice rider. He soon joined Chris McCarron and Steve Cauthen as winners of both the apprentice Eclipse and overall jockey's Eclipse Award, adding those awards in 1989 and 1992. A native of Maurice, La., Desormeaux was the national leader in number of wins three consecutive years (1987-89). In 1989, he set the still-standing national record for wins with 598. He also was the national leader in earnings in 1992. Desormeaux has won 4,464 races from 22,474 mounts and his horses have earned $172,660,992. Desormeaux has won the Kentucky Derby twice, on Real Quiet (1998) and Fusaichi Pegasus (2000), and the Preakness on Real Quiet.

Legendary black jockey Jimmy Winkfield was one of four jockeys to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys (1901-02). He won 220 races in 1901 and in 1904 he went abroad and became champion jockey in Russia. He also rode successfully in Germany and France. When he retired from racing at age 50, records indicate he had won more than 2,500 races. Winkfield died in 1974 at age 91.

Skip Away was an Eclipse Award-winning champion for three consecutive years, culminating in his Horse of the Year honor in 1998. Trained by Sonny Hine, Skip Away won 16 stakes and had a nine-racing winning streak between his 4 and 5-year-old seasons. The son of Skip Trial -- Ingot Way, by Diplomat Way, retired with 18 wins, 10 seconds, and 6 thirds from 38 starts and earnings of $9,616,360.

Flawlessly was North America's distaff grass course champion in both 1992 and 1993 and repeated as a grade I winner on grass again at 6 in 1994. Charlie Whittingham trained her through campaigns that included relatively few races, but which covered the top level of competition. In her first year as champion, she won three of five, and in her second Eclipse season she won four of five.

Bowl of Flowers was voted a champion in both years she raced, as 2-year-old filly in 1960 and at 3. She won 10 of 16 lifetime starts and earned $398,504.

Ceremonies, which include a keynote address by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, are open to the public and will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion.