It’s Three for the Show at the Hall of Fame

Following on the heels of football and baseball over the weekend, there was plenty of emotion Monday morning in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trainer Richard Mandella, jockey Earlie Fires and the late Tom Smith, who trained the legendary Seabiscuit, were the human inductees into racing’s Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion. The horses honored were Maskette, Paseana and Holy Bull.

Mandella, 50, has long been among the sport’s top trainers. He conditioned, among others, standouts like Kotashaan, the 1993 horse of the year; Gentlemen, Siphon, Sandpit, Phone Trick and Dare And Go, who ended Cigar’s 16-race winning streak in the 1996 Pacific Classic.

Mandella, who was presented his plaque by Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, gave an emotional speech. Mandella mentioned his father, Greg, and trainer Lefty Nickerson, for whom he worked as an assistant more than 25 years ago, as big factors in his success.

“I had a lot of good knowledge inside me, but it all seemed like a jigsaw puzzle until I worked for Lefty,” Mandella said. “Then it all came together. He’s the most fantastic man I’ve ever met.

“When you’re young and starting out, you have to have the support of your family. The Three Rings ranch [where he worked as an exercise rider] was where my dreams started and it is so overwhelming here today.”

A winner of more than 6,150 races while competing mostly in the Midwest, a tearful Fires, 54, was presented his plaque by Terry Meyocks, the chief operating officer of the New York Racing Assn. and the son of the jockey’s agent. He was given a standing ovation by the sizable crowd.

“In this business, you have a lot of people to thank,” he said. “Between the trainers and the owners and everybody in this business, it’s a little emotional for me because I’ve been [waiting] a long time trying to get here.

“There’s a lot of people here, my family, my children, my mom and my brothers. I think about all the things that have went on in my life and I look at my little brother, Jackie, who is a paraplegic, and I’m sorry for breaking down, but I love them all.

“I wish my father and other people like [late trainer] Willard Proctor, Brian Ott, Joe Bollero were here to see this. I’m so sorry that I’m breaking down, but I do love the business and I love the horses more than anything. I want to thank the Hall of Fame and the voters who finally got me here.”

Smith, who trained 1938 horse-of-the-year Seabiscuit and 1947 Kentucky Derby winner Jet Pilot, was represented by two granddaughters, Janet Smith O’Brien and Phyllis Smith. His plaque was presented by Col. Mike Howard, the great-grandson of Charles Howard, Seabiscuit’s owner.

Owners Sid and Jenny Craig accepted the plaque for Paseana, the champion older filly and mare in 1992 and 1993. Trained by Ron McAnally, she did most of her winning in Southern California after coming from South America. She won 19 of 36 races and her biggest victories included the 1992 Breeders’ Cup Disaff, the Vanity, Santa Margarita, Santa Maria and Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park.

Leverett Miller, a trustee of the National Museum of Racing and vice president of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners Assn., presented Holy Bull’s plaque to Jimmy Croll, the gray horse’s owner and trainer.

The 1994 horse of the year, Holy Bull won 13 of 16 races. He is a stallion at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky.

“Many strange creatures have come out of Florida, but few, if any, have been as great as Holy Bull,” Miller said. “When the young Holy Bull breezed it was ‘wow’ and the ‘wows’ later became standard equipment.”

The Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman, who also serves as president of the National Turf Writers’ Assn., made the presentation for horse-of-yesteryear Maskette to Richard Duchossoiss. The chairman of Arlington Park accepted on behalf of owner James Keene. Maskette, the champion 2-year-old filly in 1908 and the top 3-year-old filly in 1909, is the fifth member of the Hall of Fame owned by Keene.

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The Thoroughbred Times and Blood Horse contributed to this story.