Hall of Fame: Leatherbury’s long wait ends

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – On the eve of his induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, King Leatherbury was asked what he was most proud of in his 57-year training career.

“Winning races, that’s all,” Leatherbury said. “Winning races. At the beginning of every meet, the objective was to be leading trainer.”

Win races? How about 6,457 wins, fourth all time. Leading trainer? How about 52 training titles on the Maryland circuit and four more at Delaware Park.

It may have taken an insanely long time for Leatherbury, 82, to get onto the ballot, but it only took one try to get into the Hall of Fame, which he officially enters on Friday. Leatherbury leads an excellent class of inductees that includes deceased rider Chris Antley, Vincent Powers, a top steeplechase jockey and trainer; prominent owners and breeders Alfred G. Vanderbilt and John Hay Whitney; and equine stars Lava Man, Xtra Heat, and Billy Kelly.

The Hall of Fame ceremony takes place Friday at 10:30 a.m. Eastern at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion on East Avenue and is free and open to the public.

Leatherbury said it was never his objective to get into the Hall of Fame, but he views his election as “the highest honor you can get in our industry, so this is the ultimate award, and I really appreciate it.”

Though most of his accomplishments came in the 1970s and ‘80s, Leatherbury said the exploits over the last few years of the gelding Ben’s Cat, who has won 29 races – including 24 stakes – and earned more than $2.4 million, put him back in the industry’s conscience.

“I think Ben’s Cat put me over the hump there,” Leatherbury said. “My name wouldn’t be in the headlines, so to speak, if it wasn’t for Ben’s Cat right now. I’d just be dying slowly, winning a few races here and there. But Ben brought my name back to life. He is a remarkable horse, and he’s still running. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”

Leatherbury was in his heyday when a young jockey started riding on the Maryland circuit under the tutelage of trainer Odie Clelland. Chris Antley started in Maryland but was successful in New Jersey, New York, and California.

In a career cut short by the demons of addiction, Antley won 3,480 races, including the Kentucky Derby twice and the Preakness once.

“I was Chris’s man,” Leatherbury said. “The second win of his life was on one of my horses; the first stakes win he ever had was on one of my horses. All I can do is credit myself with being able to recognize a young rider with that kind of talent.”

Also from Maryland comes Xtra Heat, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2001 who won 25 stakes – at eight different tracks – in 35 starts for owners Ken Taylor, Harry Deitchman, and John Salzman, who also was his trainer. Xtra Heat, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Dixieland Heat, won 11 graded stakes, topped by the Grade 1 Prioress in 2001.

The California-bred Lava Man was claimed for $50,000 by trainer Doug O’Neill during his 3-year-old season and became the third-highest-earning California-bred of all time behind only Hall of Famers Tiznow and Best Pal. He had a career record of 17-8-5 from 47 starts and earned $5,268,706. He won three consecutive editions of the Hollywood Gold Cup – a feat matched only by Native Diver – and back-to-back runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap.

Billy Kelly, a foal of 1916, was a stablemate of Sir Barton, the first Triple Crown winner. He had a career record of 39-14-7 from 69 starts and finished ahead of Sir Barton in eight of the 12 races in which they both competed.

Alfred G. Vanderbilt, the owner of Sagamore Farm and a breeder of 77 stakes winners, and John Hay Whitney, who owned Greentree Stud and Greentree Racing Stable and campaigned Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Tom Fool, will be inducted as Pillars of the Turf.