Saratoga Walk of Fame

In 2013, NYRA began recognizing prominent thoroughbred industry owners, trainers and jockeys who have left a significant mark on Saratoga with a commemorative plaque and iconic red Saratoga jacket presented on the eve of the Travers Stakes, Saratoga's signature race and the nation's oldest major stakes race for 3-year-olds.

“We hope our guests will enjoy Saratoga’s newest attraction which is designed to highlight the contributions of our industry’s leading pioneers and achievers for decades to come.”

	John Velazquez 2013 Inductee  One of the most accomplished and respected jockeys in the history of the sport, John Velazquez was still in the prime of his remarkable career when he was elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2012. This past decade, it was Velazquez who dominated Saratoga, passing Cordero to move into second place two years ago and becoming its all-time leading rider on July 27 when he brought home his 694th winner.
	Jerry Bailey 2013 Inductee  Bailey won seven riding titles from 1994-2001 and brought home 693 winners at the Spa.
	Angel Cordero 2013 Inductee  Cordero won his first riding title at Saratoga in 1967, rode 649 winners until his retirement in 1992. In all, the “King of Saratoga” – for whom the coveted Saratoga riding title is named – was the top rider 14 times, including 11 straight years from 1976-86.
	H. Allen Jerkens 2014 Inductee  The legendary H. Allen Jerkens, for whom the coveted Saratoga training title is named, was elected to racing's Hall of Fame in 1975 at the age of 45, then the youngest trainer so honored. After taking out his license in 1950, Jerkens fashioned a stellar career that was punctuated by some of the biggest upsets in racing history including two over 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, with Prove Out in the Woodward at Belmont Park and with Onion in the Whitney at Saratoga.
	D. Wayne Lukas 2014 Inductee  A member of both the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, D. Wayne Lukas has trained 25 Eclipse champions, more than any other trainer in history. In addition to having won four Kentucky Derbies, six Preakness Stakes and four Belmont Stakes, Lukas saddled the winners of three editions of the Travers: Corporate Report (1991), Thunder Gulch (1995) and last year's eventual 3-year-old champion Will Take Charge. He also won the Saratoga training title six times.
	Tom Durkin 2014 Inductee  Born in Chicago, Tom Durkin began calling races at county fairs in Wisconsin in the summer of 1971. In 1975, he moved on to ply his trade at a string of small tracks including Cahokia Downs, Balmoral Race Course, Quad City Downs and Miles Park before landing the job at famed Hialeah Race Course in 1981. Three years later, he was hired as the announcer for the Breeders' Cup, and gained further fame calling the Triple Crown for a decade beginning in 2001. Durkin began his tenure with the New York Racing Association in 1990. Some of Durkin's most memorable calls have come on the New York Racing Association circuit of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.
	Marylou Whitney 2015 Inductee  In addition to being a celebrated philanthropist and public figure, Marylou Whitney is one of the racing industry’s most committed supporters and top breeders as owner of the eponymous Marylou Whitney Stables, which has produced such memorable thoroughbreds as 2004 Belmont Stakes and Travers winner Birdstone who himself produced two classic winners: 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird; and 2009 three-year-old champion Summer Bird. Whitney and her husband John Hendrickson have donated millions of dollars to various causes supporting the Saratoga Springs community and serve as the organizers and patrons of the annual Saratoga Backstretch Appreciation Program.
	Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps 2015 Inductee  With roots in racing dating back to 1926, Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps has long been an advocate for the industry as both a breeder and an owner. Thoroughbreds owned by the distinguished Phipps Stable have captured victories in some of the Spa’s most prestigious races, including the Sword Dancer Invitational, Personal Ensign, the Alabama and Travers. Earlier this year, Phipps announced his retirement as chairman of The Jockey Club after 32 years of leading the organization, establishing his tenure in the position as the longest in the history of the organization.
	William "Bill" Mott 2016 Inductee  William “Bill” Mott achieved prominence as the trainer of two-time Horse of the Year Cigar, who tied Citation’s mark of 16 straight wins in 1996, including an undefeated 10-race season in 1995. A three-time Eclipse Award winner as Outstanding Trainer, Mott was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at the age of 45, the youngest trainer to receive that honor. Among his more than 4,600 career winners are Eclipse champions Theatrical, Escena, Paradise Creek, Ajina and Royal Delta, as well as 2010 Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer.
	W. Cothran "Cot" Campbell 2016 Inductee Author, raconteur, visionary, and longtime horseman W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell made his mark on horse racing in 1969 when he pioneered one of the sport’s most innovative ideas: syndicated racehorse ownership. Dominion’s victory in the 1978 Bernard Baruch put Campbell’s Dogwood Stable on the map; and among those who have carried its green-and-yellow silks at Saratoga Race Course are Eclipse champion Storm Song, Preakness winner Summer Squall, and Belmont Stakes hero Palace Malice.
	Ramon Dominguez 2017 Inductee Dominguez, a world-class jockey who began riding horses in Venezuela at age 16, was the leading rider on the New York circuit from 2009 through 2012, winning 20 individual meet titles. During his career, Dominguez won 4,985 races and earned nearly $200 million in purses. He received the Eclipse Award as Outstanding Jockey in 2010, 2011 and 2012.  Dominguez delivered many memorable moments for fans at Saratoga, including riding six winners in a single day's card on two separate occasions, making him the only jockey to accomplish this feat. Dominguez announced his retirement in 2013 following injuries sustained in an accident at Aqueduct Racetrack. He was inducted to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2016.
	Bob Baffert 2018 Inductee Baffert is one of two trainers in history to capture multiple Triple Crown titles: first with American Pharoah, who ended a 37-year Triple Crown drought in 2015; and, again, in 2018 with Justify. Baffert's 11 Grade 1 victories at Saratoga are highlighted by three Travers victories, including back-to-back triumphs with Arrogate setting a course record in 2016, and West Coast winning the summer's marquee race in 2017. Baffert is a four-time Eclipse Award-winner for Outstanding Trainer, including three straight honors from 1997 to 1999. He has registered 15 victories in Triple Crown races over the course of his career. Baffert was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2009.