History of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

Where Racing History Comes to Life

Since 1950, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has chronicled, honored, and promoted the sport of thoroughbred racing

BY EDWARD L. BOWEN

Hall of Fame Nominating Committee Chairman

Opposite page: The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has been located at 191 Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, since 1955. Dozens of jockey statues represent the vibrant racing colors of some of the most prominent stables in the sport. Above and below: A new state-of-the-art Hall of Fame opened in 2020 and features the signature film “What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame” and digital plaques for all Hall of Fame inductees with extensive multimedia content.

Led by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, a group of people prominent within the sport of thoroughbred racing founded the National Museum of Racing in 1950. The Museum’s location of Saratoga Springs, New York, home of the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in America, proved to be an ideal setting. On Aug. 6, 1951, amid a great deal of fanfare, the Museum made its public debut in a temporary location at the Canfield Casino in Congress Park.

“The long-range purpose,” Whitney said at the opening in the famous old casino, originally opened by John Morrissey in 1870, “is to build a permanent home for the important memorabilia for the sport whose beginnings in this country antedate by 100 years or more the United States of America.”

Joining Whitney in the founding group that signed the charter for the Museum were Carleton F. Burke, Kenneth K. Burke, John C. Clark, Nelson Dunstan, Donald P. Ross, F. Skiddy von Stade, John Hay Whitney, and George D. Widener, Jr. Also recognized as organizers of the Museum were Francis Dorsey, Spencer Eddy, Howell E. Jackson, Walter M. Jeffords, Robert F. Kelley, Paul Kerr, Addison Mallery, Denis Mansfield, Dr. Charles H. Strub, and Bryce Wing. The first gift for the Museum project was $5,000 from the Saratoga Association,which owned and operated Saratoga Race Course. Harold O. Vosburgh, a steward for the Saratoga Association, donated the first piece of memorabilia, a shoe from the legendary horse Lexington. The Museum has evolved with the times while staying true to its core concepts — preserving and promoting the history of thoroughbred racing in America and honoring its most accomplished participants with induction into the Hall of Fame. A major project was completed in 2020, when a dynamic new Hall of Fame and Race Day Gallery opened to the public. The new Hall of Fame includes the immersive signature film “What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame,” which is narrated by iconic broadcaster Bob Costas. The reimagined Hall

National Museum of Racing and

The Museum opens in a temporary location at Canfield Casino in Congress Park

Ground is broken on a permanent location for the Museum on Union Ave. The Museum officially opens to the public on Aug. 6

George D. Widener succeeds Jeffords as the Museum’s president

Gerard S. Smith succeeds Hanes as the Museum’s president

1950 1951 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1960 1968 1970

Walter Jeffords succeeds Whitney as the Museum’s president

The National Museum of Racing is founded in Saratoga Springs, New York. Prominent sportsman Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney is selected as the institution’s first president The Museum’s first addition, the Patrons of the Turf Gallery, is added

The inaugural Hall of Fame class — featuring 27 members — is elected; New York Gov. W. Averell Harriman speaks at the Museum’s formal dedication during the Saratoga racing season

John W. Hanes succeeds Widener as the Museum’s president

Hall of Fame Through the Years

Renovations are completed and historical galleries covering three centuries of racing in America debut to the public A unique racing simulator opens to the public

The Museum begins a 10,000 square-foot expansion to improve collections storage and create a changing exhibition space, curatorial workroom, Whitney Tower succeeds a children’s gallery, and new Mather as the Museum’s interactive exhibits president

The Museum opens its renovated interior courtyard, named in honor of C. V. Whitney

Gretchen Jackson succeeds Thayer as the Museum’s president

1974 1982 1986 1988 1989 1999 2005 2006 2012 2014 2017 2018 2020

Charles E. Mather II succeeds Hanes as the Museum’s president The Museum hires an English design team to modernize the facility

Stella F. Thayer succeeds von Stade as the Museum’s president

A new interactive steeplechase gallery opens to the public John Hendrickson succeeds Jackson as the Museum’s president

The Museum unveils its new interactive Hall of Fame and signature film “What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame”

John T. von Stade succeeds Tower as the Museum’s president

also features state-of-the-art interactive plaques for all 470 Hall of Fame inductees that include a variety of multimedia content.

“The new Hall of Fame experience is a true game-changer for the Museum. Our sport deserves the best and I believe we now have the greatest sports Hall of Fame in the country,” said John Hendrickson, the Museum’s president. “These are exciting times for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. This is a vibrant and wonderful sport with a significant history and we are passionate about honoring that. We will always be looking for new ways to give our guests an exceptional visitor experience that is both entertaining and informative.”

The Museum has grown significantly in size and scope since its founding. After a few years in Congress Park, the Museum moved to a newly constructed facility at 191 Union Avenue, directly across the street from the historic track, in 1955. The Museum now occupies a sprawling building with some 45,000 square feet of space.

C. V. Whitney served as the first president of the Museum from 1950 to 1953. He was followed by Jeffords, 1953 to 1960; Widener, 1960 to 1968; John W. Hanes, 1968 to 1970; Gerard S. Smith, 1970 to 1974; Charles E. Mather II, 1974 to 1982; Whitney Tower, 1982 to 1989; John T. von Stade, 1989 to 2005; Stella F. Thayer, 2005 to 2014; Gretchen Jackson, 2014 to 2017; and Hendrickson, 2017 to present.

The Museum was popular from the beginning. During its first year of operation at the Canfield Casino in 1951, the Museum attracted more than 8,000 visitors. At the end of 1952, the register showed 11,500 names.

Top: The Museum’s Post-Civil War Gallery examines one of the most important eras in the history of American racing. Middle left: The National Museum of Racing opened in its present location in 1956. Middle right: Hall of Fame jockeys Eddie Arcaro and Ted Atkinson visit the Museum with New York Gov. Averell Harriman. Bottom: The Museum’s Race Day Gallery was included in the 2020 renovations that focused on a new interactive Hall of Fame experience.

Above: The Museum’s 20th Century Gallery features artifacts, artwork, and memorabilia from throughout the 1900s.

When it was announced the Museum would move out of its original quarters in the Canfield Casino into a structure being built specifically to house it, a Saratoga citizen, James E. Benton, applauded. He sparked some of the impetus toward a Hall of Fame with a letter to journalists Nelson Dunstan and Gene Ward. He made an eloquent plea, noting that some aspects of Saratoga were changing — the demise of the Grand Union and United States hotels, for example — but that tradition was an important part of the area and racing.

“If a board of turf writers, for instance, were to elect annually to the Hall of Fame one or more jockeys, horses, or trainers, it would be of national importance,” Benton wrote. “An annual special award would be coveted.”

By early 1955, it was announced by Jeffords that the new building would, indeed, include a Hall of Fame. The Museum board had passed the following: “Resolved that the National Museum of Racing create and be custodian of racing’s Hall of Fame and its president be empowered to appoint a committee whose duties it will be to recommend to the board of trustees ways and means of selecting candidates.”

Given that thoroughbred racing had been a part of life in America since the colonial days, a bit of catching up was needed. It was decided that the first group of Hall of Fame inductees would be comprised of horses which had raced prior to 1900 and jockeys and trainers who were no longer active.

The inaugural class of inductees included the horses Ben Brush, Boston, Domino, Hanover, Hindoo, Kingston, Lexington, Salvator, and Sir Archy; jockeys Laverne Fator, Edward Garrison, Danny Maher, James McLaughlin, Walter Miller, Isaac Murphy, George Odom, Earl Sande, Tod Sloan, Fred Taral, Nash Turner, and George Woolf; and trainers William P. Burch, Thomas Healey, Sam Hildreth, A. J. Joyner, John Rogers, and James Rowe, Sr.

Ground was broken for the Museum’s permanent home during the final week of November 1954. The cornerstone was laid the following April and New York Gov. W. Averell Harriman presided over the formal dedication during the 1955 Saratoga racing season. Harriman spoke briefly prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Racing must remain as a sport,” he said, “and not as a commercial enterprise. We must maintain the traditions of racing, and Saratoga is rich in such traditions.”

The National Museum of Racing opened to the public on June 2, 1956. The building was designed by New York City architect Augustus Noel. The New York Times’ report on the dedication said the building cost $300,000. In 1957, the first addition, called the Patrons of the Turf Gallery, was completed. More expansion followed. A third wing was added in 1979 and became the home of the Hall of Fame.

Until the mid-l980s, the Museum functioned primarily as a diversified set of galleries and was open only during the summer. The

Above: The Museum’s Pre-Civil War Gallery chronicles some of the earliest aspects of thoroughbred racing in America.

Museum then began evolving into a professionally managed institution. The Board of Trustees raised $6.4 million and hired an English design team experienced with thoroughbred racing to completely renovate the building and develop historical galleries covering three centuries of racing in America. The renovation took 10 months and the building reopened on July 14, 1988.

Between 1999 and 2000, a major renovation and a 10,000 square-foot expansion of the physical plant costing $18 million improved collections storage and created a changing exhibition space, a curatorial workroom, and a children’s gallery. The story line of the semi-permanent historical galleries also expanded to include 20th century history and current events in racing. Extensive audio and video presentations, as well as interactive exhibits for all ages, were added throughout the Museum.

There has been tremendous change in all areas of Museum operations in the 21st century. The unique horse racing simulator was developed and opened to the public in 2006; a new interactive Steeplechase Gallery opened in 2012; the Museum celebrated 150 years of racing at Saratoga with a two-year exhibit that opened in June 2013; in 2016, the Museum opened the Edward P. Evans Gallery, which displays some of the most coveted and prestigious trophies in the history of American racing; and in 2018, the Museum unveiled its renovated interior courtyard, named in honor of C. V. Whitney.

Now in its eighth decade — with a new state-of-the-art Hall of Fame experience to inspire current racing fans and cultivate new ones — the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame continues to thrive as a dynamic and integral part of the sport it celebrates.