2015 Hall of Fame Class a Celebration of Spirit, Talent

The 2015 Racing Hall of Fame ceremony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. was a celebration of a strong class in inductees. (All photos by Penelope P. Miller/ America's Best Racing)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Retired track announcer Tom Durkin summarized the meaning of enshrinement in the Racing Hall of Fame in one sentence as he opened the ceremonies on Friday.
“These heroics will never be lost in the fog of time,” Durkin said before a capacity crowd at Fasig-Tipton’s Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion.
The accomplishments of jockeys Chris Antley and Vincent Powers, trainer King Leatherbury and racehorses Lava Man, Xtra Heat and Billy Kelly will never be lost in the fog. The same can be said for Alfred G. Vanderbilt II and John Hay Whitney, newly elected as Pillars of the Turf.
Tears of joy and sadness were shed for Antley, for he was but a shooting star due to his issues with substance abuse. He died on Dec. 2, 2000, at age 34, from what coroners ruled was a drug overdose. He had launched his brilliant but relatively brief career in 1983 and, only two years later, led all North American riders in victories with 469.
Ron Anderson, one of Antley’s former agents, was among those who grappled with his emotions. He was overjoyed to see Antley receive the sport’s highest honor even as he was forced to wonder what might have been.
“One of the highlights of my life was to know him and be associated with him,” Anderson said. “He was such a special person and so good inside. He loved everybody and he loved everything. The only thing I realized after he died was that when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t love himself. I could never understand why.”

Antley’s wife, Natalie, said of his induction: “It provides a profound healing opportunity for our family.”
As much as he struggled away from the track, riding appeared to come easily to Antley, who grew up in the tiny South Carolina town of Elloree (population 939). “He was brilliant … really, really special,” Anderson said.
Antley ranked among the top 10 jockeys in North America every year from 1984-87. He gained a world record nine victories in one whirlwind day on Oct. 31, 1987. He paced the rugged New York circuit in victories with 234 in 1989 and took at least one race for 64 consecutive racing days that year.
Leatherbury, 82, received an honor that many believe was long overdue. He ranked fourth all-time with more than 6,455 victories when he was elected. He was not nominated until this year. He owns a record 52 Maryland training titles – 26 at Laurel Park and an equal number at Pimlico Race Course since he took out his trainer’s license in 1958.

Leatherbury was in high spirits when it was time for him to step to the podium, cracking one-liners and telling one amusing anecdote after another. One involved a man who asked him for $10 for food as he stood at the entrance to a racetrack. Leatherbury responded by suggesting it might end up as betting money.
“Heck, no,” the man retorted. “I got my betting money.”
Lava Man represents one of the best investments ever made in a racehorse. He began his career with a fourth-place finish in a $12,500 claiming race at the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton, Calif., and raced without distinction until trainer Doug O’Neill claimed him for $50,000 in August 2004. He won the first of three consecutive editions of the Hollywood Gold Cup in 2005 and went on to sweep seven Grade 1 races, most of any California-bred in history.

Xtra Heat, purchased for a mere $5,000 at a Maryland sale, proved to be extraordinary. She captured 26 of 35 starts and failed to crack the top three only twice. She earned $2,389,635 for trainer John Salzman, Sr., in a career that ran from 2000-03. She earned an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly in 2001.

Powers was saluted for his ability as a flat and steeplechase rider. He was the leading flat jockey in North America in 1908-09 and the top steeplechase jockey in 1917. Billy Kelly was celebrated as more than a Kentucky Derby runner-up to stablemate Sir Barton, the first Triple Crown winner in 1919. Billy Kelly won 39 races and earned almost $100,000, a fortune at that time.
Perhaps the most fitting end is to recall an indelible image of Antley as he clutched Charismatic’s injured leg until help could arrive at the end of the Belmont Stakes in 1999. His quick thinking and concern for his mount saved the horse’s life.