Racing History Speaks

Tucked away in computer hard drives and illuminated in displays are the tales that make racing memorable.

These stories are in the Racehorse Hall of Fame at Ruidoso Downs and are available to anyone who cares to listen. The Racehorse Hall of Fame is open during racing hours throughout the summer and during regular business hours during the Ruidoso Downs offseason. There is no admission charge.

War Admiral was an aristocrat among champions during the Great Depression. The son of the great Man o’War was the hero of Eastern racing’s elite. In 1937, he dominated headlines while winning the Triple Crown and the first running of the Pimlico Special on his way to the Horse of the Year title. Owned and bred by Philadelphia’s Samuel D. Riddle, who also owned Man o’War, War Admiral was the king among racing’s royalty during this Golden Age in horseracing history.

In 1936, California car dealer and self-promoter Charles Howard bought an over-raced, second-string colt named Seabiscuit for $8,000, a hefty price for a rather common racehorse during the Depression. However, he now had a trainer who understood his needs, and the colt steadily built an impressive race record and became the darling of West Coast racing.

Howard, always the flamboyant competitor, wanted to race against War Admiral. After much negotiation and public posturing, War Admiral and Seabiscuit met in a match race that was held as the 1938 Pimlico Special at the Maryland track. Seabiscuit was tuned for early speed, went to the front and held off War Admiral safe in one of the highest profile races of the 20th Century.

What do iconic champions like War Admiral and Seabiscuit – who never came close to setting a hoof in New Mexico -- have to do with the Racehorse Hall of Fame at Ruidoso Downs? Well, War Admiral’s Kentucky Derby trophy is on display in the Racehorse Hall of Fame. It is believed to be the only Kentucky Derby trophy won by a Triple Crown winner located outside the state of Kentucky.

There are hundreds of memories located in the Racehorse Hall of Fame with a direct connection to Ruidoso Downs and New Mexico racing.

One entire wall in the Racehorse Hall of Fame is dedicated to the All American Futurity, the world’s richest Quarter Horse race that began at Ruidoso Downs in 1959. The All American Futurity collection in the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame is the most complete collection of All American Futurity memorabilia anywhere. Among the artifacts are numerous All American Futurity trophies, including those won by Tonto Bars Hank in the second running, by world champion Easy Jet, his daughter Easy Date and former all-time leading money earner Refrigerator.

There is also an entire case dedicated to the most recent All American Futurity winner and an impressive collection of memorabilia connected to Special Effort, the only horse to win the Triple Crown at Ruidoso Downs.

Additionally, a video loop shows many All American Futurity runnings, including Galobar’s win in the first All American Futurity.

There are also displays featuring memorabilia connected to Go Man Go, Dash For Cash, First Down Dash, Special Effort, Denim N Diamonds, Charger Bar and numerous other champions.

Stories about many of racing’s historic horses and horsemen are presented on three kiosks in the Hall of Fame. The videos include many of the Grade 1 races run at Ruidoso Downs and information is presented on each of the inductees into the Racehorse Hall of Fame.

Every year, an owner/breeder, trainer, jockey and horse are inducted into the Racehorse Hall of Fame and cases are dedicated to telling the story of their amazing careers.

The 2011 Hall of Fame class is comprised of Johnny T.L. Jones Jr., John Bassett, Jerry Burgess and Peppers Pride.

Jones built an internationally respected career in Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. He trained Kansas Futurity winner Jet Smooth, owned and operated by Walmac Farm in the Kentucky bluegrass, introduced many Thoroughbred stallions to Quarter Horse racing and has owned champions of each breed.

Bassett is a national champion trainer who has won Quarter Horse racing’s most lucrative races. He is a two-time winner of the All American Futurity, a four-time winner of the Los Alamitos Million/Two Million (California’s richest Quarter Horse race) and won the inaugural running of the Texas Classic Futurity (the richest race in Texas).

Burgess was one of Quarter Horse racing’s leading jockeys and went on to be a racing official at major tracks. He won the 1975 All American Futurity on Bugs Alive In 75, the 1980 Rainbow Futurity with Mighty Deck Three, the World’s Championship Classic aboard Oh Snaz and rode two-time world champion Dash For Cash to wins in the Vessels Maturity and the Lubbock Downs Futurity.

Peppers Pride, raced by breeder Joe Allen and now co-owned with Mike Stinson, is considered history’s greatest New Mexico-bred and earned national acclaim as her 19-for-19 winning streak grew until her retirement in December 2008. Her 19 wins from 19 starts is the modern-day American record for an undefeated horse. The 19 consecutive wins is a record co-held with Zenyatta, who lost her 20th start in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Trainer Joel Marr skillfully guided the Desert God daughter’s perfect career to earnings of $1,066,085 and 14 stakes victories from her 19 wins, all in New Mexico.

War Admiral’s Kentucky Derby victory in 1937 to Mr Piloto’s narrow upset win in last summer’s All American Futurity bookend the stories waiting in the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame.

Ty Wyant has been covering racing since 1976. He is currently the media relations director for Ruidoso Downs and Zia Park, and the curator of the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame. Joined SureBet in 2007.