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| Chef Bobby Flay serves up keynote speech |
Bobby Flay delivered a rousing keynote address to start things off, stating he's watched More Than Real's Breeders' Cup victory video "over 300 times, and that's probably a low number." He spoke of the thrill of competition and how his father taught him to always "do the right thing and success will follow."
Randy Moss was the Master of Ceremonies and did a very nice job with his opening and closing remarks and moving the induction along at a nice pace.
It was my first Hall of Fame ceremony of any kind and I enjoyed the passion and emotion that was on display throughout the acceptance speeches. Three fillies were honored, Open Mind, Safely Kept and Sky Beauty all with impressive careers. California-based trainer Jerry Hollendorfer rounded out the contemporary Hall of Fame honorees. My Friday News blog highlighted the different Hall of Fames that you can go to in New York State.
The two races I keyed on during the day were the 2-year old filly race and the Grade 2 Hall of Fame. It was hard leaving the Spa after the feature race knowing I'll only be back one more time for the Travers in two weeks. The place is so special and where I fell in love with the sport.
Here is a few photos from Friday's induction and from the racetrack...
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| Randy Moss - Master of Ceremonies |
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| HOF'er D. Wayne Lukas presents Open Mind |
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| DRF's Jay Privman presents Jerry Hollendorfer |
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| Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer |
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| Seabiscuit Statue outside the HOF Museum |
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| Ramon Dominguez after his ride on Cave's Valley |
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| Johnny V signs for a fan |
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| A Beautiful Friday afternoon at the Spa attracted 23, 674 patrons |
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| Ever A Friend ($9.40) wins the 2nd |
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| George Weaver gives Javy instructions before the 3rd |
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| Was the Toddster tweeting? |
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| Javier Castellano on the Hard Spun filly Hard Mystery |
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| Johnny V up on Miss Caterina, a Pletcher firster |
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| Miss Caterina ($4.40) rolls to a 5 3/4 length victory |
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| Rothko ($10) rolls in the 6th |
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| Big Blue Kitten in the paddock with trainer Chad Brown |
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| Julien Leparoux on Perregaux |
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| Big Blue Kitten ($11) wins the G2 Hall of Fame |
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| Johnny V and Big Blue Kitten head to the Winners Circle |
2 Comments:
Geno,
Looked like a fantastic day at Saratoga. I'm envious...Del Mar was nice, just not becoming more fun to be at. Definitely, I didn't have the experience you had when leaving nor has Del Mar been the place where my racing history is entrenched.
Thanks for the pictures!
Thanks for the pictures!
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