In his first two stakes starts, February and March of 2024, the colt Hall of Fame ran like a horse who didn’t know what he was doing and might not have been sure he wanted to do it. In his third stakes start, the Mineshaft Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, Hall of Fame showed how far he’s come for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Hall of Fame’s three wins before Saturday had come after he led or raced outside in the clear against overmatched rivals. This time, Hall of Fame sat professionally in the pocket behind pacesetting Maycocks Bay, responded when jockey Jose Ortiz pulled him outside for a homestretch run, and gamely wore down the fast, in-form 5-year-old Komorebino Omoide to win the Grade 3, $250,000 Mineshaft by a head. Maycocks Bay, no match for the winner, held third after leading through a moderate 48.60 second half mile. The pace quickened from there, and despite the moderate early tempo, Hall of Fame ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:42.89, a fast raw time by Fair Grounds standards that earned him a Beyer Speed Figure of 100. Hall of Fame has started bringing to bear his physical gifts. “He’s an absolutely beautiful Adonis,” Asmussen said. “The sky’s the limit.” Hall of Fame was only a physical specimen running on raw talent in the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby last season at Fair Grounds. A $1.4 million yearling purchased by Coolmore connections, Hall of Fame is by Gun Runner out of Flag Day, by Giant’s Causeway, a high-end pedigree to go with his high-end price tag. Hall of Fame won his second start, a maiden route, by more than 10 lengths in a fast time but gained no traction in the Risen Star, finishing seventh. And after a 10th-place finish in the Louisiana Derby, Hall of Fame got a long break. “I’m just so thankful we were able to give him the necessary time to fill into his huge frame,” Asmussen said. Hall of Fame returned to racing Dec. 1, scoring a solid first-level allowance win in a one-turn mile, then popped a flashy 103 Beyer climbing the allowance ladder and returning to two-turn racing Jan. 5 at Fair Grounds. Hall of Fame led in the January win but melted into Ortiz’s hands when the jockey took a little hold into the first turn to plunk him down just behind the leader. Batten Down, making his first start since Nov. 3, turned in a decent effort finishing fourth, but Catching Freedom, the 2024 Louisiana Derby winner, finished a flat seventh in his first start since June. Tuscan Sky, another 4-year-old who’d shown graded stakes potential at age 3, checked in sixth. Those two might not have stepped forward as older horses. Hall of Fame has. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.