Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta Among 2016 Hall of Fame Finalists

2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta is among this year's Hall of Fame Finalists. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Blood-Horse Staff
Four jockeys, four Thoroughbreds and two trainers comprise the 10 finalists on the National Museum of Racing's 2016 Hall of Fame ballot, as selected by the Museum's Hall of Fame nominating committee.
The finalists are jockeys Ramon Dominguez, Victor Espinoza, Garrett Gomez and Craig Perret; Thoroughbreds English Channel, Kona Gold, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta; and trainers Steve Asmussen and David Whiteley. Dominguez, English Channel, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are first-time finalists.
Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. A maximum of four candidates with the highest vote totals—provided they receive majority approval (50.1 percent) of the voting panel—will be elected to the Hall of Fame. If less than than four candidates receive "yes" votes from a majority of voters, there will be fewer than four inductees in 2016. The results of the voting on contemporary candidates will be announced on Monday, April 25.
The induction ceremony will be held at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Friday, Aug. 12 at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame's 16-member nominating committee from a total of 82 initial candidates suggested by turf journalists, Thoroughbred industry participants, and racing fans. To be eligible, trainers must have been licensed for 25 years, while jockeys must have been licensed for 20 years.
Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years before becoming eligible.
RACHEL ALEXANDRA

All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. Candidates not active within the past 25 years are eligible through the historic review process. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived, at the discretion of the Museum's executive committee. Dominguez, who rode from 1996 through 2013 before suffering a career-ending injury, had the 20-year requirement waived by the executive committee.
Dominguez, 39, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, won 4,985 races and $191,620,277 in his career and won the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He led all North American riders in earnings each of those years, setting a record of $25,639,432 in 2012. He won three Breeders' Cup races: the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf with Better Talk Now, 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile with Hansen, and the 2012 Turf with Little Mike. Dominguez was the regular rider of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace 
Espinoza, 43, a native of Tulancingo, Mexico, has won 3,266 races with earnings of $186,231,530 through March 8. An Eclipse Award finalist in 2015 when he rode Horse of the Year American Pharoah to the first Triple Crown in 37 years, Espinoza has a total of seven victories in the Triple Crown series, including five in the past two years. He has three wins in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and one in the Belmont. With American Pharoah and 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome   alone, Espinoza has won a total of 15 graded stakes.
Gomez, 44, a native of Tucson, Ariz., rode from 1988 through 2013 and won 3,769 races and $205,224,899. The Eclipse Award winner in 2007 and 2008, Gomez led all North American riders in earnings in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2007, he set a single-year record with 76 stakes wins. He won 13 Breeders' Cup races, including the 2010 Classic with Blame, handing Zenyatta her lone career defeat. He won the Bill Shoemaker Award for the top jockey at the Breeders' Cup four times.
GOMEZ

Perret, 66, won 4,415 races and had purse earnings of $113,837,299 in a career that spanned from 1967 through 2005. He was North America's leading apprentice jockey in earnings in 1967 and won the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in 1990. In 1987, Perret rode Bet Twice to a 14-length victory in the Belmont Stakes, denying the Triple Crown hopes of Alysheba. During his Eclipse Award year of 1990, Perret won the Kentucky Derby with Unbridled and grade I races with Housebuster, Safely Kept, Rhythm, and With Approval.
English Channel posted a career record of 13-4-1 from 23 starts and earned $5,319,028. Bred in Kentucky by Keene Ridge Farm, English Channel was a $50,000 purchase by James Scatuorchio at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sales. Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden in all but one of his 23 career starts by John Velazquez, English Channel won the 2007 Eclipse Award for outstanding turf horse. He was the winner of seven graded stakes, including six grade I events.
Kona Gold sold for $35,000 at Keeneland to a partnership that included trainer Bruce Headley, Irwin and Andrew Molasky and Michael Singh's High Tech Stable. The Eclipse Award winner for champion sprinter and runner-up for Horse of the Year as a 6-year-old in 2000, Kona Gold posted a career record of 14-7-2 from 30 starts with earnings of $2,293,384.
Rachel Alexandra was named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly in 2009 and posted a career record of 13-5-0 from 19 starts with earnings of $3,506,730. Bred in Kentucky by owner Dolphus Morrison, she was trained by Hal Wiggins until a private sale to Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick following her 20 ¼-length victory in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks. From there, she was trained by Steve Asmussen. As a 3-year-old in 2009, Rachel Alexandra delivered a perfect record in eight starts, including wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Mother Goose, Haskell and Woodward.
Rachel Alexandra returned as a 4-year-old in 2010 and finished second in her first two starts, won the Fleur de Lis Handicap and the Lady's Secret Stakes and finished second in the Personal Ensign, her final career start. She finished the season with a record of 2-3-0 from five starts and earnings of $558,376.
Zenyatta, who posted a career mark of 19-1-0 from 20 starts and earnings of $7,304,580, was named Horse of the Year in 2010 and won a total of four Eclipse Awards in her career. Zenyatta was a $60,000 purchase by Jerry and Ann Moss at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sales. Trained by John Shirreffs, Zenyatta arrived at the races late in 2007 as a 3-year-old, winning both of her starts at Hollywood Park. From that point on, she competed exclusively in graded stakes events, winning 17 consecutive such races to run her win streak to 19.
At 4, Zenyatta finished the season with a record of 7-0-0 from seven starts and earnings of $2,090,580, winning the first of three consecutive Eclipse Awards as champion older mare. In 2009, at age 5, Zenyatta became the first filly or mare to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and earn her second straight Eclipse for champion older mare with a record of 5-0-0 from five starts and earnings of $3,330,000.
As a 6-year-old in 2010, Zenyatta owned a 19-race win streak before suffering her lone career loss to Blame in the Breeders' Cup Classic, her final career start. With a record of 5-1-0 from six starts and earnings of $1,830,000, she was named Horse of the Year and earned her third consecutive champion older mare award. Overall, Zenyatta won a total of 17 graded stakes, including 13 grade I races.
Asmussen, 50, a native of Gettysburg, S.D., ranks second all-time in career wins (7,246 through March 8) and fourth in earnings ($237,473,515) in a training career that began in 1986 after a brief time as a jockey. The Eclipse Award winner for outstanding trainer in 2008 and 2009, Asmussen has led all North American trainers in wins nine times and earnings three times. Asmussen trained Curlin to Horse of the Year honors in 2007 and 2008 and Rachel Alexandra to the Horse of the Year title in 2009. Asmussen has also trained champions Kodiak Kowboy, My Miss Aurelia, and Untapable.
ASMUSSEN

Whiteley, 71, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Frank Whiteley, Jr., trained champions Revidere, Waya, and Just a Game, and won 678 races in a career that spanned from 1970 through 1995. He won 33 percent of his starts (678-for-2,068) and had purse earnings of $11,837,823. Whiteley won 45 graded stakes races and 62 overall stakes. He won the 1979 Belmont Stakes with Coastal, thwarting the Triple Crown hopes of Spectacular Bid. Other notables trained by Whiteley included Highland Blade, Tiller, French Colonial, Instrument Landing and Bailjumper.