This New York Bred Handicap is named for a man who spent a lifetime in racing. Hollie Hughes retired in 1975, after training horses for the Sanford family for 70 years. In 1973, he was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs. Mr. Hughes became Gen. Stephen Sanford's head trainer in 1914 and saddled his first winner, at Saratoga, on August 27th of that year. After training horses for only two years he won the Kentucky Derby with a horse called George Smith. Actually, Mr. Hughes was in the army when George Smith won the Derby and, while he conditioned the horse, Preston Burch saddled him for the race, a race Hollie Hughes never saw. However, Hughes did saddle a number of stakes winners, both on the flats and over the jumps, including Sergeant Murphy who won the Aintree Grand National in 1923. He also won the Whitney and Monmouth Handicaps. Hollie Hughes was a native New Yorker. He passed away in 1981, at the age of 92.