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Hall of Fame - Trainers

Namesort descending Inducted Biography
Andrew Jackson Joyner 1955

Angel Penna 1988

   Angel Penna was born Sept. 30, 1923 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father, father-in-law and an uncle were all trainers.
Ansel Williamson 1998

   Known in contemporary accounts as “Old Ansel,” the exact dates of this legendary trainer’s career have been lost.
Benjamin A. Jones 1958

   Ben Jones was born in 1883 in Parnell, Mo. His father, the town’s founder and owner of the Parnell Bank, had visions of his son someday replacing him as the bank’s president.
Bob Baffert Bob Baffert 2009
Burley Parke 1986

   Burley Parke was born in Albion, Idaho, on March 21, 1905. He was one of 12 children, and four of his seven brothers also went into the racing industry.
Carl Hanford 2006

Carl Hanford grew up with 10 siblings in Fairbury, Neb. He quit high school and went east to pursue a career as a jockey. Hanford notably rode the winner in the first race ever run at Suffolk Downs in East Boston on July 10, 1935. His career as a jockey didn’t amount to much, however, and he switched to training.

 
Carl Nafzger Carl Nafzger 2008

   Carl Nafzger took an unconventional route to racing’s Hall of Fame. He is only inductee who is also a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Professional Bull Riders’ Ring of Honor.
Charles Whittingham 1974

   A leading West Coast trainer, California native Charles Whittingham is considered by most accounts one of the greatest Thoroughbred trainers of the 20th century.
Claude R. McGaughey, III 2004

   Claude R.
D. Wayne Lukas 1999

   In detailing a career overflowing with record-setting, one quickly runs out of adjectives to describe D. Wayne Lukas’ achievements.
D.M. Smithwick 1971

   Daniel Michael “Mikey” Smithwick was an accomplished amateur steeplechase jockey – winning a record six Maryland Hunt Cup races – before he turned to training jumpers in the early 1950s.
Edward A. Neloy 1983

  Eddie Neloy quit school for the racetrack at age 14 and – with the exception of service in World War II – spent the rest of his life at the races.
Edward D. Brown 1984

Born into slavery in Lexington, Ky., Edward Dudley Brown developed into an accomplished jockey before becoming one of the top trainers of the 19th century.

 
Scotty Schulhofer Flint S. Schulhofer 1992

   Flint “Scotty” Schulhofer began working with Thoroughbreds as a teenager in Aiken, S.C.
Frank "Pancho" Martin 1981

   Frank “Pancho” Martin’s career began in his native Cuba, where he worked his way up from hotwalker to trainer by age 16. By the time he turned 21, Martin was racing Cuban horses in Ohio.
Frank E. Childs 1968
Frank McCabe Frank McCabe 2007

   Born on March 10, 1859 in Patterson, N.J., Frank McCabe began his racing career as a jockey before becoming a prolific trainer of Thoroughbreds.
Frank Whiteley Jr. 1978

   In a career that spanned almost half a century, Frank Whiteley trained numerous stakes winners and four champions.
Fred Burlew 1973
G. Carey Winfrey 1975

   George Carey Winfrey was born in Wills Point, Texas, in 1885.
Gary Jones Gary F. Jones 2014

Gary Jones began his career as a racehorse trainer by sending out King Wako on opening day at Santa Anita in 1975.
Grover G. "Bud" Delp 2002

Grover Greer “Bud” Delp saddled his first winner at Maryland’s Laurel Park in 1962 and won his first meet training title there a year later. He won seven training titles at Pimlico and six at Laurel, and also led the standings at Arlington Park, Atlantic City, Bowie, Delaware Park, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream, and Monmouth.

 
H. Allen Jerkens 1975

In a career that spanned from 1950 through 2015, Allen Jerkens won 3,859 races and earned the respect and adoration of his peers and multiple generations of race fans.

 
H. Guy Bedwell 1971

Harvey Guy Bedwell led all North American trainers in wins seven times and in earnings twice during his illustrious career. He trained America’s first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, as well as several other standouts.

 
Harry Trotsek 1984

   Born in Cicero, Ill., in 1910, Harry Trotsek proved adept at handling all types of Thoroughbreds.
Henry Forrest 2007

A native of Covington, Ky., trainer Henry Forrest won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in both 1966 and 1968 and was the all-time leader in wins at both Churchill Downs and Keeneland Race Course at the time of his death in 1975.

 
Henry McDaniel 1956

   The ability to train Thoroughbreds was bred into the soul of New Jersey native Henry McDaniel. His father, Col.
Henry S. Clark 1982
Herbert J. Thompson 1969

  Born in Detroit on Sept. 21, 1881, Herbert J. Thompson started out his career working with harness horses before switching to Thoroughbreds in 1902 when he began an association with E.J.
Hirsch Jacobs 1958

   Born in New York City on April 8, 1904, Hirsch Jacobs achieved success as a trainer, owner, and breeder of Thoroughbreds.
Hollie Hughes 1973

  Hollie Hughes was born on a small farm near Amsterdam, N.Y., in 1888. For more than 70 years, Hughes was associated with the Sanford family of New York and their racing operation.
Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones 1959

   The son of Hall of Fame trainer Ben A. Jones, Jimmy Jones was born in Parnell, Mo., on Nov. 24, 1906. He worked with his father for Woolford Farm until 1939 when they moved to Calumet Farm.
Horatio A. Luro 1980

   Horatio Luro was born on Feb. 27, 1901 in Argentina into a wealthy family that had been involved with horses for generations. Well connected, he was friends with the social and business elite.
Sonny Hine Hubert "Sonny" Hine 2003

    Sonny Hine was born in The Bronx, New York, on Jan. 9, 1931, and became a full-time trainer on the Maryland circuit in 1957.
J. Elliott Burch 1980

A third-generation horseman who followed both his father and grandfather into the Hall of Fame, Elliott Burch trained six champions and four members of the Hall of Fame, including Horse of the Year winners Sword Dancer, Arts and Letters and Fort Marcy.

 
J. Howard Lewis 1969

  J. Howard Lewis was an outstanding steeplechase rider in the 1880s before moving on to a successful career as a trainer of jumpers.
Jack C. Van Berg 1985

An Eclipse Award-winning trainer, Jack Van Berg grew up as a stablehand for his father, Hall of Fame conditioner Marion Van Berg. In a career that spanned from 1957 until his death in 2017 at the age of 81, Jack Van Berg won 6,523 races and had purse earning of almost $86 million. He ranked fourth all time in wins at the time of his death.

 
Jacob Pincus 1988

   Jacob Pincus’ training career encompassed the latter half of the 19th century. He is best known for conditioning the first American-bred to win the Epsom Derby in England.
James E. Fitzsimmons 1958

It had the audacity to rain throughout the afternoon James “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons retired from thoroughbred racing after a 78-year association and love affair with the sport.

 
James G. Rowe Sr. 1955

    James Gordon Rowe was one of the finest jockeys in America during the 1870s, winning such prestigious races as the Belmont, Travers, Saratoga Cup and Jerome Handicap.
James P. Conway 1996

Jimmy Conway trained 43 stakes winners during his career, including champions Chateaugay, Grecian Queen, Miss Request, Primonetta, and Pucker Up.

 
James W. Maloney 1989

     The son of a trainer, James Maloney got his start in the sport by breaking horses for his father and competing in horse shows in Connecticu
Janet Elliot Janet E. Elliot 2009

Janet Elliot became the first woman inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

 
Jerry Hollendorfer Jerry Hollendorfer 2011

   At the time of his Hall of Fame induction, Jerry Hollendorfer ranked in the top 10 in all-time wins and purse earnings among North American trainers.
John E. Madden 1983

   John Edward Madden was born on Dec. 28, 1856 in Bethlehem, Pa. He began his career as an owner, trainer and driver of Standardbreds.
John J. Hyland 1956

   In the late 19th century, when the Futurity at Sheepshead Bay was the richest race in America, trainer John J. Hyland won it three times in a five-year span.
John M. Gaver, Sr. 1966

Born in Mount Airy, Md., John Gaver graduated from Princeton University then worked as a prep school language teacher before eventually embarking on a career in thoroughbred racing. In 1929, James G. Rowe, Jr., a friend and horse trainer, invited him to join the team managing the Brookdale Farm and the racing stable owned by Harry Payne Whitney.

 
John Nerud 1972

   John Nerud was born on a ranch in Minatare, Neb., on Feb. 9, 1913. He worked as a rodeo cowboy and a groom in his youth before turning to training Thoroughbreds. 
John Veitch John Veitch 2007

   The son of Hall of Fame trainer Sylvester Veitch, John Veitch was born in Lexington, Ky., on July 27, 1945.
John W. Rogers 1955

   A native of Louisiana, John W. Rogers trained trotters before getting his start with thoroughbreds around 1880 in the Midwest with the extensive stable of Ed Corrigan.
Jonathan Sheppard 1990

   Jonathan Sheppard has without question earned his place as the leading American steeplechase trainer of all time.
King T. Leatherbury 2015

When it comes to winning races, few trainers have done it better than King Leatherbury.
Lazaro S. Barrera 1979

A native of Havana, Cuba, Lazaro Barrera became the first person to win the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer four consecutive years (1976 through 1979) and trained America’s 11th Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, as well as Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Bold Forbes.

 
LeRoy Jolley 1987

A two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, LeRoy Jolley began walking hots for his father, trainer Moody Jolley, at the age of 7 and spent his summers growing up working in his father’s barn. After a year at the University of Miami, Jolley returned to work for his father and took out his trainer’s license in 1958.

 
Louis Feustel 1964

Louis Feustel was only 10 years old when he began working with horses, and in short time he began a long and prosperous association with August Belmont II. For Belmont, Feustel began as a stable hand, rose to stable foreman, and eventually became head trainer.

 
Lucien Laurin 1977

   Lucien Laurin was born March 18, 1912 in Joliette, Quebec, Canada, and began his career with Thoroughbreds as a jockey in 1929 at Blue Bonnets Raceway in Montreal.
M.E. "Buster" Millerick 2010

   In a career that spanned almost 50 years, California native Michael Ernest “Buster” Millerick became known as one of the finest trainers on the West Coast.
MacKenzie Miller 1987

MacKenzie T. “Mack” Miller born Oct. 16, 1921 in Versailles, Ky. Known as the “Gentleman Trainer,” during a 46-year career, Miller conditioned 72 stakes winners, including four champions.
Marion Van Berg 1970

   Born on Jan. 15, 1896 at Aurora, Neb., Marion Van Berg enjoyed a lifetime of success in Thoroughbred racing.
Matthew Byrnes Matthew Byrnes 2011
Maximilian Hirsch 1959

   Max Hirsch was born in Fredericksburg, Texas in 1880. He got into racing by riding Thoroughbreds in local fairs during his youth. Hirsch was noticed by John A.
Mesh Tenney 1991

   Born on Nov. 16, 1907, Arizona native Mesh Tenney trained 36 stakes winners in his career, including Hall of Famer Swaps, the 1955 Kentucky Derby winner and the 1956 Horse of the Year.
Michael G. Walsh 1997

   Mickey Walsh trained steeplechase horses for half a century and produced 31 stakes winners, including the champion King Commander.
Neil D. Drysdale 2000

A native of England, Neil Drysdale studied at the University of Barcelona in Spain and taught English as a foreign language before turning his focus to horses. He moved to Florida to work with show horses, and then became involved with racing thoroughbreds, spending two years with John Hartigan at Tartan Farms in Ocala, Fla. Drysdale then moved to a thoroughbred stable in Argentina and managed a stud farm in Venezuela. He returned to the United States and worked as an assistant to Roger Laurin for two years, and then between 1970 and 1974 he was assistant to Charlie Whittingham in California before going out on his own.

 
Nick Zito Nicholas Zito 2005

   Nick Zito won his first Triple Crown race when Strike the Gold captured the Kentucky Derby in 1991.
P. G. Johnson Phillip G. Johnson 1997

   A Chicago native, Phil “P.G.” Johnson bought his first Thoroughbred in 1942. The $75 auction purchase named Song Master became Johnson’s first winner two years later at Hawthorne Race Course.
Preston M. Burch 1963

The son of Hall of Fame trainer William Burch and the father of Hall of Fame trainer Elliott Burch, Preston Burch enjoyed success as a breeder, owner and trainer of racehorses for himself and others both in America and overseas for more than a half-century.

 
R. W. Walden 1970

   Born in 1843, Robert Wyndham Walden was one of the most successful trainers of the 19th century.
Richard Mandella Richard Mandella 2001

   A California native and the son of a blacksmith, Richard Mandella began breaking and galloping horses for Connie Ring at Three Rings Ranch while still in high school.
Robert A. Smith 1976

   Robert Smith’s good nature led to his being known as “Whistling Bob.” Born in 1869 in Newburgh, N.Y., Smith ran away from home at a young age and sold newspapers to support himself before going

Bobby Frankel Robert J. Frankel 1995

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Bobby Frankel won five Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer in an exceptional career that spanned five decades. Frankel first got into racing as a gambler, then found his way to the stable area, figuring a few hours walking hots in the morning was worth it to get a free pass to the afternoon’s races.

 
Robert Wheeler Robert Wheeler 2012

   When C.V. Whitney decided to send a string of horses to the West Coast he did plenty of research into finding the proper trainer.
Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield 2012

Following a stint as a steeplechase rider and an accomplished career as an international show jumper, Roger Attfield established himself as one of the top thoroughbred trainers in North America. Born on Nov. 28, 1939 in Newbury, England, Attfield immigrated to Canada in 1970 and took his first training job with Gateway Farms. In the years since, Attfield has won the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Canadian Trainer eight times, trained three Canadian Triple Crown winners, six Canadian Horse of the Year winners, and won 22 races in the Canadian Triple Crown series.

 
Ron McAnally 1990

   A native of Covington, Ky., Ron McAnally began his career in thoroughbred racing at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire working for his uncle, trainer Reggie Cornell.
Samuel C. Hildreth 1955

   Samuel Clay Hildreth, the youngest of Vincent and Mary Hildreth’s 10 children, enjoyed success as a trainer in the Midwest for owners Elias J.
Sherrill W. Ward 1978

   Sherrill Ward learned the craft of Thoroughbred conditioning from his father, who was also a trainer.
Sidney Watters Sidney Watters, Jr. 2005

   A Baltimore native who began his racing career as a steeplechase jockey, Sidney Watters, Jr. embarked on a stellar career training jumpers after serving in the military during World War II.
Steven M. Asmussen 2016

Steve Asmussen’s time as a jockey didn’t amount to much glory — he registered only 63 wins before he outgrew the saddle — but Asmussen’s brief stint as a rider was only a precursor to one of the most successful training careers in American racing history and a spot in the Hall of Fame.

 
Sylvester Veitch 1977

 Sylvester Veitch began his career as a jockey and trainer of steeplechase horses. He switched to flat racing in 1939 and began working for C.V. Whitney, for whom he conditioned four champions.
Thomas H. Voss 2017

Never one to seek praise or concern himself with press clippings, Tom Voss was singularly focused on the care and development of racehorses throughout his remarkable and diverse career as a thoroughbred trainer.

 
Thomas Hitchcock 1973

   Born in New York City on Nov. 12, 1860, Thomas Hitchcock was a true sportsman and is commonly referred to as the father of American steeplechasing.
Thomas J. Healey 1955

The son of a dairy farmer, Thomas Jefferson Healey was born just south of the old Jerome Park racetrack in New York City. At the age of 15, Healey took his first job in racing in the stable of E. A. Clabaugh. He worked in various barns throughout the next few years before becoming a head trainer.

 
Thomas J. Kelly 1993

   Tommy Kelly was born on Sept. 19, 1919 in Baltimore and began working at the racetrack as a teenager, learning the business from the bottom up.
Tom Smith 2000

   Tom Smith was born in a log cabin in the woods of northwest Georgia in 1878. As a young man, he trained horses for the United States Cavalry and worked on a cattle ranch.
W. Burling Cocks 1985
W.F. Mulholland 1967

   Winbert F. “Bert” Mulholland was born Aug. 27, 1883 in Lexington, Ky. He began his association with Thoroughbreds as an exercise rider for his uncle, W.C. “Farmer Bill” Scully.
Warren A. Croll, Jr. 1994

Jimmy Croll trained Hall of Fame members Holy Bull and Housebuster, as well as Belmont Stakes winner Bet Twice and champions Forward Gal and Parka.

 
William B. Duke 1956

William Duke enjoyed tremendous success as a trainer overseas in England and France and soared to the top of the sport in America late in his career.

 
William C. Winfrey 1971

  Born in Detroit in 1916, Bill Winfrey was the stepson of Hall of Fame trainer G. Carey Winfrey. Bill Winfrey quit school at age 15 to become a jockey.
William I. Mott 1998

   Bill Mott’s career began in South Dakota, where he owned and trained horses with other members of his family.
William J. Hirsch 1982

   William “Buddy” Hirsch followed in the footsteps of his father, Hall of Famer Max Hirsch, even though the elder Hirsch was against his son entering the training business.
William Lakeland 2018

William “Billy” Lakeland didn’t seem destined for great success and national acclaim while growing up. Born in 1853 in Manchester, England, Lakeland’s family arrived in America a decade later and settled in Paterson, N.J. Possessing only a rudimentary education because he was sent to work in a cotton mill to help his struggling family make ends meet, Lakeland’s prospects seemed limited.

 
William Molter 1960

   William Molter was born in Fredericksburg, Texas in 1910. He enjoyed success as a jockey before turning to training.
William P. Burch 1955

William Preston Burch, a South Carolina native, served as a courier in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War before getting involved with quarter horses at fairs in the South. He transitioned to training thoroughbreds around 1866, basing his stable in Washington, D.C.

 
William Ransom Johnson 1986

   When Thoroughbred racing was America’s leading national sport, William R. Johnson, known as the “Napoleon of the Turf,” was the game’s most prominent figure.
Woodford Stephens 1976

   Born Woodford Cefis Stephens in Stanton, Ky., “Woody” was a jockey at age 16 and began working on the backstretch for trainer John Ward.