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Shug McGaughey thanked the Phipps family, for whom he trained 54 stakes winners.

The other inductees were the great black jockey Jimmy Winkfield, the mares Bowl of Flowers and Flawlessly, and Skip Away, the 1998 Horse of the Year.

McGaughey, 53, in a classy, poignant speech that made careful note of the many people who have guided him throughout his career, saved his most heartfelt thanks for the Phipps family, for whom he has trained 54 stakes winners, including six Breeders' Cup winners, over 20 years.

"My deepest debt of gratitude always has been and always will be to the Phipps family," said McGaughey, who was introduced by Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps, the chairman of the The Jockey Club. "My affiliation with the Phipps family is one of the great highlights of my life. I wouldn't be here without them."

McGaughey cited Phipps's late father, Ogden, who owned Easy Goer and Personal Ensign.

"When Personal Ensign won the Breeders' Cup, and when Easy Goer won the Belmont, I was much happier for Mr. Phipps than myself," he said.

Dinny Phipps cited McGaughey for the scores of stakes winners McGaughey has trained for his family and also for "the exceptional care for each and every horse you've got in your shed row."

"Thanks for the beautiful introduction - I hardly recognize myself," McGaughey said as he took the podium.

"When you're honored for doing something you love, it's especially meaningful for me," McGaughey said.

Desormeaux, 34, thanked his parents for having "a passion for horses."

"Our whole backyard was nothing but a training ground for being a jockey," said Desormeaux.

Desormeaux was introduced by family friend Bill Stubblefield, who described himself as "the unofficial, unauthorized, unapproved chairman of the board of the Kent Desormeaux fan club."

Stubblefield said that children should strive to be like Desormeaux, then jokingly added that because of Desormeaux's height, "the average American kid can do that by the fifth grade."

Winkfield, whose induction was long overdue and was brought about by the historical review committee, is one of only four jockeys to have ridden consecutive winners of the Kentucky Derby - His Eminence in 1901 and Alan-A-Dale in 1902. He won more than 2,500 races, mostly in Europe, where he went in 1904.

His daughter, Liliane Winkfield Casey, accepted her late father's award.

"His life was very colorful. He had his ups and downs," Casey said of Winkfield, who was in Russia for the Bolshevik revolution and in France when Germany invaded during World War II. "Now, through the Hall of Fame committee, he has risen to the top, and we thank you from the bottom of our heart."

Casey was introduced by author Ed Hotaling, who is writing a book on Winkfield and already has published the book "The Great Black Jockeys."

"Jimmy's induction might encourage greater interest in the African-American contribution to horse racing," Hotaling said to a standing-room-only crowd that was almost all white.

Skip Away, this year's choice from the contemporary male horse category, joined the Hall of Fame one year after the induction of his late trainer, Sonny Hine. Carolyn Hine, Sonny's widow and Skip Away's owner, accepted for the runner she affectionately referred to as "Skippy."

"He put a smile on my face and a song in my heart," Hine said in a touching, three-minute speech. "He was an extension of the love Sonny and I had. They say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, but it certainly has in my life."

Hine was introduced by Gene Stevens, the publisher of Post Time U.S.A., whose rambling, nine-minute introduction elicited a Bronx cheer from the crowd when he finally finished.

Ed Bowen, the chairman of the Hall of Fame committee, joked that Stevens "overcame his natural reticence to be photographed" in order to make the presentation.

Flawlessly, the outstanding turf mare who was the greatest runner sired by Triple Crown winner Affirmed, was the contemporary female horse inductee. The award was accepted by Patrice Wolfson, who campaigned Flawlessly and Affirmed with her husband, Louis, under their Harbor View Farm.

"My husband is suffering from Alzheimer's," Wolfson began, eliciting an audible gasp from the crowd. "Last year, we took a trip to Saratoga to see the Affirmed exhibit. I said next year, I know it, his daughter will be in the Hall of Fame, and here we are.

"We're going to have a private moment later at the Hall of Fame," Wolfson said, choking up as she clutched Flawlessly's bronze plaque. "I'm going to give this to him, hug him, and remember the wonderful moments that have come into our lives."

Wolfson was introduced by bloodstock agent John Williams, who has been a long-time friend and adviser to the Wolfsons.

Bowl of Flowers, a two-time champion in 1960-61, was another choice of the historic review committee. Her award was accepted by her Hall of Fame trainer, Elliott Burch, whose father and grandfather are also in the Hall of Fame.

Burch was introduced by Mike Kane, the president of the National Turf Writers Association, who had the unenviable task of coming up after Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas delivered a dynamic keynote address.

"There's an old vaudeville saying that you should never go on after children and animals. I think you'll have to add D. Wayne Lukas," Kane said.

Lukas's speech began with a nod toward the up-from-the-bootstraps stories of Hall of Fame jockeys Pat Day and Angel Cordero Jr., then veered toward a motivational speech imploring audience members to "make a complete and total commitment" to everything they do and to be a "better parent, leader of the community, trainer, or rider."

"If you don't take risks in life, you'll miss some of life's passion," Lukas said. "One thing will keep you going, and that's simply your attitude. You have a choice to make early every day. Make it the right one."

Lukas came back around to close with an aside to this year's nominees.

In remarks similar to those he made at his own induction as a trainer in 1999, Lukas said: "Now, whenever champions gather, stand tall and say, 'I belong.' "

Shug's time has officially arrived

But there are rules for Hall of Fame induction. And despite crafting one of the most successful training careers this sport has known, McGaughey had to wait until he was recognized as having trained Thoroughbreds for 25 years.

There aren't many trainers in the last quarter century who have accomplished more than McGaughey, who was actually credited with winning the 1978 Apple Blossom for trainer Frank Whiteley before going out on his own in 1979. A native of Lexington, Ky., McGaughey has won 324 stakes with 128 horses, has trained eight champions - including the undefeated Personal Ensign - and won eight Breeders' Cup races, second only to D. Wayne Lukas.

McGaughey, 53, has spent the last 19 years as the private trainer for the Phipps family. Ogden Mills Phipps said he and his father were looking for a trainer who had a good record with fillies when they sought to replace Angel Penna Sr. in the fall of 1985. Four of the six champions McGaughey has trained for the Phippses were fillies.

"His ability to train fillies is important to our operation, because we're not big buyers. We have to produce our own to go back to the broodmare band," Phipps said. "It doesn't matter if it was Personal Ensign or Dispute or Inside Information. He has that ability to train those horses and keep them happy over a period of time, and I think that's important."

McGaughey has won 163 stakes for the Phippses with 54 different horses. Six of McGaughey's eight Breeders' Cup victories have come for the Phippses. Overall, McGaughey has won almost 1,400 races and his horses have earned purses totaling almost $84 million.

McGaughey has had many memorable days in racing, but one that stands out is Oct. 16, 1993, at Belmont Park. McGaughey won six races, including five graded stakes: the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Miner's Mark), Kelso Handicap (Lure), Frizette (Heavenly Prize), Beldame (Dispute), and Lawrence Realization (Strolling Along). Regal Solution won an allowance race.

"If you had asked me that day, 'Are you going to win six today?' I would have said no," McGaughey said. "If you had had asked me if Lure was going to win today, I would have said yes. Do you think Strolling Along is going to win today? I would have said good chance. Do you think Heavenly Prize is going to win today? Yes. Do you think Dispute is going to win today? Yes. Do you think Miner's Mark is going to win today? Questionable. They were all doing really good and I couldn't really discount any of them."

McGaughey has enjoyed great success at Saratoga, where he has won at least one stakes race in 15 of the last 21 meetings before this year. Overall, he's won 32 stakes here, including five Ballerinas and six Go for Wands. He is one of just four trainers to have won the Travers in back-to-back years.

"Heavenly Prize's Alabama was pretty exciting," McGaughey said. "Lakeway was in there and she beat Inside Information in the Mother Goose. We ran by her at the three-eighths pole like she was standing still. Easy Goer's accomplishments up here were great. My first [Saratoga] stakes win, Lass Trump won the Test; that was a hell of a thrill."

In 1989, Easy Goer won the Whitney and the Travers, one of just four 3-year-olds to accomplish that feat. McGaughey only ran Easy Goer in the Whitney when Seeking the Gold came up with an ankle injury.

"I had never won the Travers, but I was pretty confident going into it that we were running the best horse," McGaughey said.

Despite the death two years ago of Ogden Phipps, the family's commitment to racing remains strong. Ogden Mills Phipps said he has cut back on the number of broodmares, from 60 to about 35, and that number will likely remain under 40. But Phipps's children have a great interest in continuing the stable, in large part because of the association with McGaughey.

"He has been extraordinary in getting my kids involved," Phipps said. "They call him, they all talk to him, they're all interested in it. They own a small piece of the stable, that's how we'd like it to go. Over time they'll get a bigger piece of the stable."

Despite all his success, McGaughey said he still covets more. In particular, he wants a Kentucky Derby, a race in which he is 0 for 6.

"I'm disappointed I haven't been more competitive in the Triple Crown races," McGaughey said. "But, I don't want to take a 20-1 shot over there either."

Two summers ago, McGaughey had to undergo heart bypass surgery, but his health is good now and he plans on training for a long time.

"I'm not going anywhere," McGaughey said.

On Monday he's going to the Hall of Fame.