The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Avenue near Saratoga Race Course, at which time inductions into the hall of fame began. Each spring, following the tabulation of the final votes, the announcement of new inductees is made, usually during Kentucky Derby Week in early May. The actual inductions are held in mid-August during the Saratoga race meeting.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the summer meeting at Saratoga. The past winners of the Gold Cup are a veritable who's who of award-winning Hall of Fame horses, including Easy Goer, Man o' War, Cigar, Skip Away, Curlin, Slew o' Gold, John Henry, Affirmed, Forego, Shuvee, Damascus, Buckpasser, Kelso, Sword Dancer, Nashua, Citation, Whirlaway and War Admiral. Despite the current $1,250,000 purse and Grade 1 status, the stature of the race has suffered somewhat in recent years thanks to the emergence of the Breeders' Cup Classic held not long afterward, as well as a change in distance to 1+1⁄4 miles in 1990, reducing its distinctiveness.
Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne Whitney, who also had a large stable of horses. Greentree Stable had a training base at Aiken, South Carolina, while Greentree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky was established in 1925 as its breeding arm.
Alysheba was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners.
The Shuvee Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older over a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The event currently carries a purse of $200,000.
The Hutcheson Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. An event raced on dirt, it is open to three-year-old horses.
Fair Play was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was successful on the track, but even more so when retired to stud. He is best known as the sire of Man o' War, widely considered one of the greatest American racehorses of all time. On the racetrack, Fair Play was known for his rivalry with the undefeated Colin, to whom he finished second in the Belmont Stakes. Later, Fair Play was the leading sire in North America of 1920, 1924 and 1927, and the leading broodmare sire of 1931, 1934 and 1938. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1956.
Busher (1942–1955) was a thoroughbred racing filly who was a champion at ages two and three, and the American Horse of the Year in 1945. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1964. On the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Busher was ranked 40th.
Shuvee was an American Thoroughbred Champion Hall of Fame racehorse.
Frank David “Dooley” Adams was an American steeplechase jockey who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1970.
Housebuster was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was sired by graded stakes race winner Mt. Livermore and was out of the Great Above mare Big Dreams.
Top Flight was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. She was the leading American filly of her generation at two and three years of age.
Cicada was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first filly in American racing history to be awarded consecutive championships at the ages of two, three and four. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1967.
John Milton Gaver Sr. was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.
My Juliet (1972–2001) was an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse who defeated both male and female competitors when earning the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Sprint Horse in 1976. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2019.
Challenger (1927–1948) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who became a Leading sire in North America.
Minstrella was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies of her generation in Europe in 1986 when she won four of her seven races. She recorded her first win in the Chesham Stakes before going on to record Group One victories in the Phoenix Stakes, Moyglare Stud Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. The last of these wins came after the controversial disqualification of Forest Flower. Minstrella failed to win in four attempts as a three-year-old and was retired from racing. She had considerable success as a broodmare in the United States. Minstrella died in 2012 at the age of twenty-eight.
Heavenly Prize was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. She was a Grade I winner at ages two, three and four, and never finished out of the money. She was named the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1994 after winning the Alabama, Gazelle and Beldame Stakes, plus finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Her four-year-old campaign was equally noteworthy, with wins in the Apple Blossom, Hempstead, Go for Wand and John A. Morris. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2018.
Willard Clark "Mike" Freeman was an American Thoroughbred horse racing steeplechase jockey and very successful trainer in flat racing. He is best remembered as the trainer of Anne Stone's Shuvee, a two-time National Champion, a Filly Triple Crown winner and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee.
