Curlin among Hall of Fame nominees

Curlin among Hall of Fame nominees

The results of the voting on contemporary candidates will be announced on

April 25. The induction ceremony will be held at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion

in Saratoga Springs, New York, on August 8 at 10:30 a.m. (EDT). The ceremony is

free and open to the public.

Curlin, bred in Kentucky and owned by Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables

after a private sale early in his three-year-old season, won 11 of 16 career

starts and has the highest purse earnings in North American history at

$10,501,800, surpassing the previous mark set by Cigar. Trained for the majority

of his career by Steve Asmussen, Curlin won the Breeders' Cup Classic, Jockey

Club Gold Cup, Preakness, Arkansas Derby and Rebel at three in 2007 to be named

Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old male. At four, he was once again

Horse of the Year and added champion older male honors. Curlin won the Dubai

World Cup, Stephen Foster, Woodward and his second Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2008.

Overall, he won nine graded/group stakes, including seven Grade/Group 1s.

Ashado, bred in Kentucky and owned by Starlight Stables, Paul Saylor and

Johns Martin, won 12 of her 21 career starts with purse earnings of $3,931,440.

She was named champion three-year-old filly in 2004 and champion older female in

2005. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Ashado won the Spinaway, Schuylerville and

Demoiselle at two. At three, she won the Kentucky Oaks, Breeders' Cup Distaff,

Coaching Club American Oaks, Fair Grounds Oaks and Cotillion Handicap. In her

final season, at age 4 in 2005, Ashado won the Go for Wand Handicap, Ogden

Phipps Handicap and Beldame.

Kona Gold, bred in Kentucky and owned in partnership by trainer Bruce

Headley, Irwin and Andrew Molasky and Michael Singh's High Tech Stable, won 14

of 30 career starts with earnings of $2,293,384. He won the Eclipse Award for

champion sprinter and was runner-up for Horse of the Year in 2000 when he won

the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Ancient Title, Bing Crosby, Potrero Grande and Palos

Verdes. In winning the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Kona Gold broke the Churchill Downs

and Breeders' Cup record for six furlongs with a time of 1:07.77. A five-time

Breeders' Cup Sprint participant, Kona Gold won the Bing Crosby and Potrero

Grande again in 2001. He also had multiple victories in the El Conejo Handicap,

including a Santa Anita track record in 1999. Kona Gold's other major wins

included the San Carlos Handicap and Los Angeles Handicap. Overall, he won 10

graded stakes, including two Grade 1s.

Xtra Heat won 26 of 35 career starts and finished out of the money only twice

with earnings of $2,389,635. Trained by John Salzman Sr., Xtra Heat was named

champion three-year-old filly in 2001. She won 10 stakes races, including the

Prioress. Xtra Heat won six races in a row twice during her career and posted

two victories in both the Barbara Fritchie Handicap and the Endine. She also won

the Vagrancy Handicap, Genuine Risk Handicap, Beaumont and Astarita.

Antley won 3,480 races and had purse earnings of $92,261,894 in a career that

spanned from 1983 to 2000. He won 127 graded stakes races and 293 overall

stakes. The leading North American rider by wins in 1985 with 469, Antley was a

two-time Kentucky Derby winner, taking the Run for the Roses with Strike the

Gold in 1991 and with Charismatic in 1999. He also won the Preakness with

Charismatic.

Other major victories for Antley included the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward,

Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Derby, Alabama, Wood Memorial, Manhattan

Handicap, Carter Handicap, Louisiana Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Coaching Club

American Oaks and Jerome Handicap, among others.

Gomez has won 3,769 races and has purse earnings of $205,224,899 in a career

that began in 1988. He has won 318 graded stakes and 566 overall stakes. Gomez

won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2007 and 2008 and led all North

American riders in earnings each year from 2006 through 2009.  Gomez won a

record 76 stakes races in 2007 and has 13 Breeders' Cup wins to his credit,

including the 2010 Classic with champion Blame. Among Gomez's major victories

are the Pacific Classic, Travers, Santa Anita Derby, Whitney Handicap, Stephen

Foster, Kentucky Oaks and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He won the George Woolf Memorial

Jockey Award in 2011.

Perret won 4,415 races and had purse earnings of $113,837,299 in a career

that spanned from 1967 through 2005. He was the leading apprentice jockey in

earnings in 1967 and won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1990.

Perret won the Kentucky Derby with Unbridled in 1990 and the Belmont Stakes with

Bet Twice in 1987. Along with four Breeders' Cup victories, Perret has also won

the Haskell, Travers, Queen's Plate, Florida Derby, Coaching Club American Oaks,

Wood Memorial, Hopeful, Clark Handicap, Jerome, Withers and Carter, among

others. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1988.

Solis has won 4,980 races and has purse earnings of $234,665,846 in a career

that began in 1982. He has won 321 graded stakes and 633 overall stakes. Solis

has won three Breeders' Cup races, including the 2003 Classic with Pleasantly

Perfect. He won the 1986 Preakness with Snow Chief. He ranks ninth all time in

earnings and 30th in wins. Major victories for Solis include the Santa Anita

Derby, Florida Derby, Hollywood Derby, Malibu, Pacific Classic, Wood Memorial,

Santa Anita Handicap, Dubai World Cup, Bing Crosby Handicap, Manhattan Handicap,

Metropolitan Handicap, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, among others. He won the George

Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1997.

Asmussen has won 6,703 races with purse earnings of $214,030,552 in a career

that began in 1986. He ranks second all time in wins and fifth in earnings.

Asmussen won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 2008 and 2009 and has

led all North American trainers in wins nine times and earnings three times.

Asmussen has won 164 graded stakes and 752 overall stakes. In 2004, Asmussen won

555 races to surpass the single-year record of 496 that had been held by Jack

Van Berg since 1976. Asmussen broke his own record in 2008 with 621 wins and

topped it once again with 650 wins in 2009. 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. He trained Rachel Alexandra to wins in the Preakness, Woodward,

Haskell and Mother Goose. Asmussen has also trained champions Kodiak Kowboy and

My Miss Aurelia. He has four Breeders' Cup victories.

Jones won 1,465 races and had purse earnings of $52,672,611 in a career that

spanned from 1975 to 1996. He won 102 graded stakes and 233 overall stakes.

Jones trained 104 stakes-winning horses, including Turkoman, the 1986 champion

older male. Jones trained Turkoman to victories in the Marlboro Cup, Oaklawn

Handicap and Widener Handicap. He conditioned Hall of Famer Best Pal to wins in

the Santa Anita Handicap, Oaklawn Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Strub. Jones

also trained Kostroma to a world turf record of 1:43 4/5 in the 1 1/8-mile Las

Palmas Handicap. Other major victories for Jones included the Mother Goose,

Santa Barbara Handicap, Hollywood Oaks, Del Mar Futurity, Hollywood Futurity,

Yellow Ribbon, Swaps, Apple Blossom Handicap, San Antonio Handicap, San Felipe,

Santa Anita Oaks, Hollywood Gold Cup, NYRA Mile, Milady Handicap, Fantasy,

Californian and Norfolk, among others.

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