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Six inducted into Hall of Fame

Six standouts -- three horses, two jockeys and one trainer -- were inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame during a ceremony Monday morning at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs, New York. Distinguished equine surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson, who led the team that treated Barbaro, was the guest speaker.

Edgar Prado, who rode Barbaro to victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby (G1), and trainer Carl Nafzger, who developed champions Unbridled, Banshee Breeze and Street Sense, were on-hand to receive their plaques during the 90-minute induction. Two-time Derby winner Ismael "Milo" Valenzuela, regular rider of Kelso, was unable to travel from California and was inducted in a special ceremony at Santa Anita on June 22.

Three horses -- Inside Information, Manila and Ancient Title -- were also inducted.

Inside Information, Manila, Prado and Nafzger were elected in the contemporary categories by the 184 members of the Hall of Fame's voting panel. Valenzuela and Ancient Title were selected for induction by the Historic Review Committee, which considers candidates who have not been active in the sport for more than 25 years.

Prado and Nafzger were elected the first year that their names appeared on the ballot. They had been eligible in previous years, but had not received enough votes in the nominating committee selection process to become finalists and appear on the ballot. Manila was elected in his 11th time on the ballot. It was Inside Information's fourth time on the ballot.

Nafzger, 67, was a top rodeo competitor in the 1960s before turning to training horses. He handled Quarter Horses for a few years before switching to Thoroughbreds. His first Thoroughbred winner was the two-year-old filly Pretty Li'l Bessie in 1971 at Santa Fe Downs. Later that season, he saddled his first stakes winner, Speedy Karen, in the Fiesta Derby H. at Santa Fe Downs.

In 1990, Unbridled became the second of two horses to win the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in the same year. Banshee Breeze was the three-year-old filly champion of 1998. She won five Grade 1 races in her career. Street Sense is the only horse to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and the Kentucky Derby. The colt, owned by James Tafel, won the 2006 Juvenile at Churchill Downs. Seven months later, he won the 2007 Derby over the same track.

For 40 years, Nafzger and his wife, Wanda, have operated a relatively small stable. Their highest number of starters in a year was 449 in 1988. Through December 31, 2007, available computer records show he has 1,068 victories from 8,041 starts and purse earnings of $50,203,640. Since 1976, he has won 68 graded stakes and 140 total stakes. He saddled at least one stakes winner every year from 1980 through 2007.

Prado, 41, led the nation in victories for three consecutive years, from 1997 to 1999 while based in Maryland. Since relocating to New York in the summer of 1999 he has been among the leaders in purse money won and has added dozens of graded stakes wins -- including the Kentucky Derby and two Belmont S. (G1) -- to his resume. He won the Eclipse Award as the champion jockey of 2006.

Among the champions Prado has ridden are Horse of the Year Saint Liam, Folklore, Smuggler, Lemon Drop Kid and Kitten's Joy.

Valenzuela, 73, a resident of Arcadia, California, rode from 1951 through 1980. He finished in the top 10 in purse money won in a season nine consecutive years, from 1956 to 1964. His highest finish was third in 1963 with $1,922,339. During his career, he rode 2,545 winners from 21,203 mounts to earn purse money of $20,122,760.

In 1958, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness with Tim Tam. Ten years later, he completed the Derby-Preakness double with Forward Pass. He was a regular rider of Hall of Famer Kelso and they won 22 stakes together.

Inside Information won 14 of 17 races in three seasons of competition for owner-breeder Ogden Mills Phipps. The Private Account filly, a 1991 foal, closed out her career for Phipps and trainer Shug McGaughey with three Grade 1 victories. In the final start of her career, the 1995 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), she beat stablemate Heavenly Prize by 13 lengths, a Breeders' Cup record. That performance at Belmont Park helped secure the Eclipse Award as the champion older filly of 1995.

Inside Information is a member of the Phipps family's broodmare band at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky.

Manila, one of the most successful grass horses in American racing history, made his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1992. He was a finalist 10 other times before finally being elected. The son of Lyphard, now standing at stud in Turkey, won 12 of 18 career starts and earned $2,692,799 for trainer Leroy Jolley.

Owner Bradley "Mike" Shannon of Lexington, Kentucky, purchased Manila from owner-breeder Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. after the colt's winless two-year-old season of 1985. Shannon's timing proved to be ideal, as Manila compiled a 12-3-0 record in the final 15 starts of his career. He won nine consecutive races between June 7, 1986 and July 15, 1987, including the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) as a three-year-old and back-to-back runnings of the United Nations (G1).

Following a half-length loss in the Bernard Baruch H. (G2) at Saratoga that ended his streak, Manila won the Arlington Million (G1), which turned out to be the final race of his career. Among the horses he defeated in the Million were Sharrood and Theatrical (Ire).

Ancient Title, a durable and versatile California-bred gelding, was bred and owned by the late William and Ethel Kirkland. He competed for seven seasons, from 1972 to 1978, and won 24 of 57 starts -- 20 of them stakes -- earning $1,252,791 in purse money. At the time of his retirement he ranked 10th in career earnings.

During his career, Ancient Title successfully carried weight in major stakes races. As a five-year-old in 1975, he won the Californian S. (G1) and Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) while spotting the competition weight. Though Ancient Title primarily raced in California, trainer Keith Stucki brought him to the East in 1975 for three major events. He won the Whitney H. (G2) by a neck over Group Plan, who was carrying 13 fewer pounds and went on to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in his next outing.


 


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