Hall of Fame Class Includes Tiznow
Jockey Edgar Prado, Trainer Carl Nafzger On List; Baffert Left Out
Nominees to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame include the only two-time Breeders' Cup Classic champ, Tiznow, jockey Edgar Prado, and trainer Carl Nafzger.
The great champion Tiznow, the only Thoroughbred to nail down two Breeders' Cup Classic titles, and those were back-to-back in 2000 and 2001, awaits his election to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame, while trainer Bob Baffert was left off most nominating ballots, and jockey Edgar Prado and trainer Carl Nafzger were shoo-ins as first time nominees.
The dozen finalists each needed at least nine votes from the Hall's 16-member nominating committee to qualify for nomination. The Hall of Fame Voting Panel, 180 members strong, are individually charged with selecting one name in each of four categories to determine the new inductees by majority votes. The categories are contemporary male horse, contemporary female horse, jockey, and trainer. The induction ceremony will be celebrated Aug.4 in Saratoga Springs.
Baffert Survives His Non-selection
Baffert, a Thoroughbred trainer since 1979, was a controversial non-choice. The committee members believed the fact that Baffert trained in the Quarter Horse arena for many years while having very few Thoroughbred charges should disqualify him from being chosen as a nominee. Records show Baffert had zero, or few Thoroughbreds in training in several different years. In 1980, he had just one Thoroughbred starter. The following year he had ten, then 32 in 1982, 27 in 1983, only five in 1984, none in 1985 through 1987, 15 in 1988, and 69 in 1989. He began to invest his training hours full time to Thoroughbreds in 1989.
Baffert, who trained the brilliant filly Silverbulletday, three Kentucky Derby champions, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and War Emblem, and two Dubai World Cup Classic champions, Silver Charm and Captain Steve, stated he had no concern with his lack of selection. He said he was rooting for Nafzger.
Tiznow Should Enter Hall Easily
Tiznow's historic back-to-back Breeders' Cup Classic wins should assure him a place in the Hall. He was voted Horse of the Year in 2000, as well as Male Champion Three-Year-Old. In 2001, he copped Older Male Champion honors. He is now a successful stallion.
The Ultimate Jockey On and Off The Saddle
Any horseracing fan unfamiliar with the name Edgar Prado was sleeping under a rock in 2004, and again in 2006. In the latter year, Prado guided Barbaro to a stupendous Kentucky Derby victory, then bravely jumped from the saddle two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes to help save the colt from instant disaster as he pulled up with a shattered right hind leg.
In 2004, Prado apologized to everyone that it was just his job to try to win after he had tumbled a hugely popular Smarty Jones from an unblemished record in a stunning stretch run aboard pint-sized Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes. The loss deprived Smarty Jones of a Triple Crown title that would have been the first one achieved since Affirmed did it in 1978. Prado also won the Belmont under Sarava in 2002, which prevented War Emblem from winning a Triple Crown.
In February of this season, Prado clocked victory number 6,000, becoming just the 16th North American Thoroughbred jockey to reach that plateau.
Magical Horseman for All Seasons
In 2007, racing fans thrilled to the Kentucky Derby victory spun by Street Sense, from 19th position to the wire in a threading-the-needle performance perfected by veteran jockey Calvin Borel. The trainer of the magical moment was Carl Nafzger.
The horseman for all seasons had guided Street Sense in training through the colt's juvenile season to the 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile championship, then listened to his champ to get him to the Run for the Roses winner's circle, too. The duo win was an historic first time accomplishment.
In 1990, Nafzger had gone the other direction with Unbridled, first winning the Derby, then pointing the colt to the Breeders' Cup Classic in the fall to also win that championship.
Other finalists for election Include champion Thoroughbreds Best Pal, Inside Information, Silverbulletday, Open Mind, Sky Beauty, and Manila, jockeys Alex Solis and Randy Romero, and trainer Robert Wheeler.
