With the annual summer meet at Saratoga not far away, Charles Hayward tells us what’s happening at one of his favorite places to visit during the eight-week showpiece in upstate New York
In August, 2017, John Hendrickson was named president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame succeeding Gretchen Jackson, who continues to serve as a member of the museum’s board of trustees.
“I’m honored to be named president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and carry on in the great tradition of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, who was one of the museum’s founders and its first president,” Hendrickson said a
s he took over. “The museum is an important institution with a great history and a bright future.”
Now a widower, at the time Hendrickson was married to Marylou Whitney, the celebrated socialite and philanthropist whose family name has been synonymous with the Turf for decades as a leading owner-breeder. When she died aged 93 in July 2019, she was described as the “social queen of the racing world” in her New York Times obituary.
“Marylou really wants me to put energy into this – she is 100% behind it,” Hendrickson said. “It’s not just our job to showcase history – we have to reach out and promote the sport, and frankly, as an industry, we haven’t done a very good job of that.”
To that end, Hendrickson vowed to embrace new technologies to get its message out there. He explained: “The museum has always done traditional things well, and we want to maintain the prestige of the place, but we have to go out and engage the next generation, which gets information through smart devices.
“We want this to be a museum that’s fun and moving forward, and part of bringing it to life will be putting up digital content, access to videos, and interviews and podcasts with inductees. The museum is so important and needs to be taken to the next level, and I want to make sure I’m giving it the time and energy and respect it deserves.”
As someone who lives 10 minutes from the museum in Saratoga Springs, I can bear witness to the fact that Hendrickson is making good on his promises – and there is no better example of what Hendrickson was envisioning in 2017 than the museum’s new Hall of Fame, and its signature film, What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame.
Renovated in 2020, the new Hall of Fame features an immersive theatrical presentation and nine new interactive stations that contain digital plaques for all 470 Hall of Fame members.
What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame is a 16-minute film taking visitors on an amazing journey through the various aspects of Thoroughbred racing and examines the rare honor — given to less than one per cent of the sport’s participants — of earning a coveted spot in the Hall of Fame.
Filmed and produced by Louisville-based Donna Lawrence Productions and narrated by famed broadcaster Bob Costas, this new presentation features original footage shot in 8K resolution from various racetracks and Thoroughbred farms plus interviews with Hall of Famers.
The film is shown every hour at half past each hour. Following the film, visitors are invited to learn about the careers of the Hall of Fame inductees on the gallery’s nine interactive stations, which feature a digital plaque, media gallery, and achievements page for each inductee. All visitors will be provided a stylus with their museum admission to use on all touchscreen interactives.
I have had the opportunity to work with two of the museum’s senior managers, Cate Masterson and Brien Bouyea on recent projects, and here are a few of their thoughts about progress.
“During the past few years, we have been able to reach a new national audience through our growing membership program, updated website, and online interactive programs. This year, we will launch our first bilingual exhibition, ‘Betting on America: the Immigrant Experience and the Hall of Fame’, something that has been in the works for a long time. We are happy to offer programs and exhibitions for all ages that are educational, entertaining, and inclusive. The museum’s board of trustees is extremely supportive and engaged, which helps make the mission of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame a success.” Cate Masterson (museum director)
“Our goals at the museum are to educate the broadest audience possible about the incredible history of Thoroughbred racing and to develop new fans of the sport through our exhibitions and programming. We have such wonderful tools at our disposal to do that — a one-of-a-kind signature film experience and the most interactive Hall of Fame gallery of any sports museum in the country, as well as arguably the finest collection of racing artwork and artifacts in the world. Whether you are a longtime fan of the sport or just becoming familiar with the game, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is an experience you will never forget.” Brien Bouyea (Hall of Fame communications director)
Current exhibitions
Betting on America: The Immigrant Experience and the Hall of Fame: In-depth exhibit chronicling the lives and impact on the sport of the Hall of Fame inductees born outside the US – 41 people and 16 racehorses from Canada, Europe and Latin America. The exhibit features interactive content, artwork, memorabilia, photography, and much more to tell the inspiring stories of the foreign-born members of the Hall of Fame.
Location: McBean Gallery (opens July 14)
Jim Raftery: A Turfotos Retrospective (from the collection of Barbara D. Livingston): A look at the remarkable career of photographer Jim Raftery, featuring iconic images of the racing scene Raftery covered for more than half a century.
Location: von Stade Gallery (opens July 14)
The Paintings of Richard Stone Reeves: A selection of paintings by legendary artist from the museum collection, featuring among others Hall of Fame racehorses such as Cicada, Exceller, Gallorette, Ruffian, Susan’s Girl and Sword Dancer. The portrait of One Count, gifted to the museum by the artist, was the first of 20 paintings by Reeves acquired by the museum.
Location: Link Gallery (opened in March, runs until end 2022)
Charles H. Thieriot Collection: seasonal exhibition featuring several paintings from the masters of British sporting art.
Location: McBean Gallery (on display each summer through December)
Ongoing programs
Oklahoma training track tours: Available June through October, this exclusive, 90-minute behind-the-scenes walking tour of Saratoga’s famous training center offers guests the opportunity to experience the morning workouts. Also includes museum admission; reservations required (no children under the age of 10 permitted).
Cost: $15 adults, $10 seniors and students, 50% discount for museum members. Reservations and additional details: call (518) 584-0400 (ext. 103)
Tom Durkin museum tours: Join legendary race caller Tom Durkin for a unique and entertaining tour experience of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. These special tours last one hour and include a showing of the museum’s new signature film, What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame. Begins July 14, Wednesday through Sunday (no tour August 5).
Cost: $30 museum members, $35 non-members. Reservations and additional details: call (518) 584-0400 (ext. 103)
Notable events
July 19 (Tues) – Racing Partnership and Syndicate Night
Learn about how to get involved in Thoroughbred ownership from some of the top partnerships in the game. More than 15 leading racehorse partnerships are scheduled to attend. There will be giveaways, complimentary refreshments graciously donated by Saratoga Eagle and Price Chopper, and an opportunity to meet representatives from participating partnerships.
Location: Hall of Fame (5.30pm to 7.30pm). Free to attend
August 5 (Fri) – Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The museum inducts the 2022 Hall of Fame class with a ceremony also live streamed at racingmuseum.org. The class of 2022 is comprised of racehorses Beholder, Hillsdale, Royal Heroine and Tepin, trainer Oscar White and ‘Pillars of the Turf’ inductees James Cox Brady, Marshall Cassidy and James Ben Ali Haggin.
Location: 10.30am at Fasig-Tipton, 153 George Street, Saratoga Springs Free to attend (limited seating)
• Saturday morning social events are held every week from 9am to 11am with free admission. They feature book signings, a Hall of Fame member autograph session on August 6 plus weekly handicapping seminars from the Daily Racing Form’s Mike Beer and much more.
Do yourself and your friends a favor this summer and visit the ‘new’ National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Go once and I guarantee you’ll want to visit again before the end of the Saratoga summer!
Peb honored at Belmont Park on Saturday July 9
Even before the annual summer meet kicks off at Saratoga, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame teams up with NYRA to highlight the career of renowned cartoonist Pierre ‘Peb; Bellocq with a special ceremony at Belmont Park during this coming weekend’s Stars and Stripes Racing Festival.
I had the great pleasure of working with Peb, who is now 95, for many years at the Daily Racing Form and then again at NYRA, and you will never find a better person with whom to talk racing. There’s a race named in his honor at Belmont on Saturday and a winner’s circle ceremony.
• View all Charles Hayward’s previous articles in his influential View from the Rail series
‘And down the stretch they come!’ – the story of Dave Johnson and racing’s most famous catch phrase
Have saddle, will travel – but now Ryan Curatolo says he is staying put in California
‘My whole life could be a movie’ – Logan Cormier, a jockey with a checkered past, stars in gritty film roleLarry Collmus: With a few exceptions, track grandstands are empty
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