View Full Version : Zito to the Hall Of Fame.
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=806430
NEW YORK May 31, 2005 — Two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Nick Zito was elected to racing's Hall of Fame on Tuesday, along with three standouts of steeplechase racing.
Zito won the Derby with Strike the Gold in 1991 and Go for Gin in 1994, and also won the 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze and the 2004 Belmont Stakes with Birdstone, who played the spoiler's role in Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid.
Also elected were jockey Thomas Walsh, trainer Sidney Watters Jr. and five-time champion Lonesome Glory the first steeplechase inductees since 1997.
Name: Nick Zito
Age: 57
Hometown: New York
Residence: Garden City, N.Y.
Family: Kim (wife); Alexander (son); Sara (daughter)
Top wins: Birdstone (2004 Belmont Stakes, Travers); Go for Gin (1994 Kentucky Derby); Louis Quatorze (1996 Preakness); Storm Song (1996 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies); Strike the Gold (1991 Kentucky Derby); Bird Town (2003 Kentucky Oaks)
Purse money earned: $69,333,163
Winners: 1,410, including 83 in graded stakes (24 Grade 1 wins)
Triple Crown record: Derby, 2-for-19; Preakness, 1-for-16; Belmont, 1-for-13
Accomplishments: Two-time Derby winner ... won 2004 Belmont with Birdstone, spoiling Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid ... won 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze ... three-time Blue Grass winner ... four-time Champagne winner ... trained two champions, Storm Song (1996 2-year-old filly) and Bird Town (2003 3-year-old filly) ... clientele includes Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, Saratoga socialite Marylou Whitney ... first trainer to send out five Derby starters for five different owners (in 2005).
How he got started: Went to track at age 9 with father, who exercised horses for trainer Max Hirsch ... hotwalker, groom for trainer Buddy Jacobson, assistant for trainers John Campo and LeRoy Jolley ... went out on his own in 1972.
National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame http://www.racingmuseum.org/
kenwoodallpromos
05-31-2005, 10:09 PM
Good for him! Sounds like a pretty good trainer!
Figman
06-01-2005, 09:12 AM
Has a reputation as a great Triple Crown trainer!
Triple Crown record: Derby, 2-for-20;
Preakness, 1-for-16;
Belmont, 1-for-13
Must be 4 Triple Crown wins equates to 500 home runs in the eyes of the racing press that elects the Hall of Fame members in horse racing.
The Jockey's listed below are an elite group. They all have more than 6000 wins. Only 14 Jockeys have won 6000+ in the entire history of the game.
Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay Jr., Angel Cordero Jr., John Longden, Jorge Velasquez, Larry Snyder, Sandy Hawley, Dave Gall, Carl Gambardella and Chris McCarron.
I feel bad for my man Carl Gambardella (gamby). 6349 wins. Rode horses professionally for 37 Years!
Aug. 23, 1956: Carl Gambardella had his first career winner, aboard Rollin Warm, at Hagerstown. He retired in 1994.
He belongs in the Hall.
Had he run in 5 horse fields at GG like Russel Baze he'd a challenged Pincay for all time leader. Baze could'nt hold Gambys hat!!
Very similar to Dale Baird and King Leatherbury, these guys should be in before Zito.
Figman
06-01-2005, 03:07 PM
It is no surprise to me that there are participants on PA's board that know a hell of a lot more about all facets of horse racing than nearly everyone of the 163 voting members designated by the National Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
What a disgrace that the main criteria for nomination and election is 100% "PR" rather than 100% accomplishment. The 163 voters succomb to "PR" everytime.
Suff, you hit the nail on the head with the name of Carl Gambardella, while CJ has two other deserving trainers in Dale Baird and King Leatherbury that have sustained accomplishment in their chosen field over decades of participation in horse racing.
It is no surprise to me that there are participants on PA's board that know a hell of a lot more about all facets of horse racing than nearly everyone of the 163 voting members designated by the National Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
What a disgrace that the main criteria for nomination and election is 100% "PR" rather than 100% accomplishment. The 163 voters succomb to "PR" everytime.
Suff, you hit the nail on the head with the name of Carl Gambardella, while CJ has two other deserving trainers in Dale Baird and King Leatherbury that have sustained accomplishment in their chosen field over decades of participation in horse racing.
I see these warriors all the time.
When Secratariat won the Garden State at 2 YO's with Ron Turcotte Up... The exacta was completed by Angel Light.. ridden by none other than Rudy Turcotte, Ron's Brother. Rudy ran big, earned over a MILLION dollars himself. He saw the big show. Blew it on broads, beer and bullets.
I see Rudy all the time. Excercise rider at Suffolk. Gamby is backside 4 days a week as well. Its funny sitting in dump like Suffok Downs with Rudy Turcotte on my left and Gamby on my Right. Its like sitting with Cy Young & Ted Williams........
j/k... but its still fun
PaceAdvantage
06-01-2005, 04:20 PM
I agree with CJ and Suff....but then again, every hall of fame has its share of "should be ins"
Skanoochies
06-01-2005, 09:35 PM
Suff, where did Gambardella get most of his wins? I`ve never heard of him? Sounds like you don`t care for R. Baze, but isn`t he closing in on 2nd place or something like that? I know he has a hell of a lot more wins than 6000.
[QUOTE=Skanoochies]Suff, where did Gambardella get most of his wins? I`ve never heard of him?]
His home base was Suffolk. Thats the issue. If you want to see what real gansters do when they take over a race track? They took Suffolk downs off the market. Private club. Las Vegas could'nt even come, thats how private it was..... : :lol: .
The point is, race fixing destroyed Suffolk and everybody in it. Suffolk is still hands off for the professionals.
Sounds like you don`t care for R. Baze, but isn`t he closing in on 2nd place or something like that? I know he has a hell of a lot more wins than 6000.[/QUOTE
1950's and 60's evertybody came through here at one time or another. Pat Day Apprenticed at Rockingham park in them days.
When I first starting seeing Golden Gate on SIMO,. It struck me as Quarter Horse match races. I heard the name for years....then he went south with a LARGE resume. My outside opinion looking in is that he never dominated SOCal. When I saw his plaque in the HOF while he was still ridiing, it caught me wrong.
sniezer
06-01-2005, 11:18 PM
[QUOTE]
His home base was Suffolk. Thats the issue. If you want to see what real gansters do when they take over a race track? They took Suffolk downs off the market. Private club. Las Vegas could'nt even come, thats how private it was..... : :lol: .
The point is, race fixing destroyed Suffolk and everybody in it. Suffolk is still hands off for the professionals.
Donald S. Abbey wrote a book about his time at Suffolk as racing secretary. It's called "To Take The Money". It's about how he tried to clean up racing there.
It has the usual disclaimers about fictional characters, but most are based on real people that were there then. I know who's who of the honest people, but most of the crooks were gone when I got there in the early 80's.
The publisher is Allowance, Inc. Denton, TX. I don't know if they even exist anymore. Pub 1979 Maybe used bookstores.
J. Sam Abbey, racing secretary at Delaware is his son.
I'd vote for Gamby too.
Figman
06-01-2005, 11:27 PM
Carl Gambardella rode for all or part of 39 years and brought home 6,349 horses to the winners circle. To put this in perspective in terms of the number of wins, it is about 600 more than Jerry Bailey's lifetime total.
Valuist
06-02-2005, 09:31 AM
Very ironic that he gets into the HOF the same year he runs 5 horses in the Derby and cannot finish higher than 7th.
missfilly
06-02-2005, 11:05 AM
Even if you win the triple crown you do not get in, I thought that was a big thing in this industry. Only for people who know people.:confused: :bang:
CryingForTheHorses
06-02-2005, 11:34 AM
Even if you win the triple crown you do not get in, I thought that was a big thing in this industry. Only for people who know people.:confused: :bang:
Your so very right, Its who you know in the politics of horse racing..
Its a shame when others make a mockery of what a person has accomplished in his life,all they can think about is his 5 horses in the derby that got nothing, Zito deserves to be in The hall of fame as he has spent years winning races.Dosent matter that it is Zito cause if it was someone else people would have just as much to say.
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