Baffert to enter Walk of Fame
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Twotime Triple Crown winning trainer Bob Baffert will be inducted to the Saratoga Walk of Fame during ceremonies scheduled for Friday, Aug. 24.
A four-time Eclipse Award winner, Baffert won the Triple Crown with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify this year.
The Saratoga Walk of Fame, which opened in 2015, honors and showcases the achievements of those who have made significant contributions to the sport of thoroughbred racing and the advancement of Saratoga Race Course.
The Walk of Fame building houses commemorative plaques, videos and memorabilia honoring various industry leaders, including owners, trainers and jockeys, who have made an indelible mark on thoroughbred racing.
Prior to the Walk of Fame’s opening, the tradition of recognizing greats of the game started in 2013 with the Red Jacket Ceremony.
The plaque for Baffert will be unveiled during this year’s Red Jacket Ceremony, held on the eve of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers.
“I am truly honored to receive this Red Jacket and to be included with such luminaries as Allen Jerkens, Wayne Lukas and Bill Mott,” Baffert said. “Saratoga is very dear to me and to be recognized in this manner with a plaque in the Walk of Fame is something special.”
Guests in attendance will have the opportunity to view the new Triple Crown trophy, which will be prominently displayed during the Red Jacket ceremony. Made of sterling silver and 14 karat gold, the trophy stands more than three feet tall and features semiprecious stones representing the colors of the three Triple Crown tracks - green, red and green with a horse and jockey on top. It was created by world-renowned sculptor Roberto Santo.
Baffert will join a prestigious group of Red Jacket honorees that includes Hall of Fame trainers H. Allen Jerkens, D. Wayne Lukas, and William “Bill” Mott; Hall of Fame jockeys Jerry Bailey, Angel Cordero, Jr., Ramon Dominguez and John Velazquez; owners W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell, Ogden “Dinny” Mills Phipps, and Marylou Whitney; and longtime New York Racing Association race announcer Tom Durkin.
Previous Walk of Fame inductees are Hall of Fame trainers H. Allen Jerkens, D. Wayne Lukas, and William “Bill” Mott; Hall of Fame jockeys Jerry Bailey, Angel Cordero, Jr., Ramon Dominguez and John Velazquez; owners Marylou Whitney, W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell, Ogden “Dinny” Mills Phipps; and longtime NYRA race announcer Tom Durkin.
“The Walk of Fame is designed to recognize the men and women who have made outstanding con-
tributions to our sport and who have achieved great success,” NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay said. “Bob Baffert is certainly one such individual. Bob won the Triple Crown in 2015 and 2018 after our sport had endured a 37-year drought since the feat had last been achieved. In winning multiple Triple Crowns, he joins Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons as just the second trainer in history to do so.”
“At Saratoga, he has trained back to back Travers winners, including Arrogate, who delivered a record-shattering tour de force victory in 2016, punctuated by an encore performance with West Coast last season,” Kay said. “Bob’s achievements have firmly established him as one of the most successful trainers in modern history. It is with sincere pleasure that we welcome Bob to the Walk of Fame to take his place alongside the other greats of the game.”