Timonium, MD (3/14/14) - The Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Hall of Fame’s newest inductees are Concern and Tuscalee, selected by a committee of Maryland racing industry members coordinated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) and Maryland Racing Media Association (MRMA).
This is the second year of inductions to the Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Hall of Fame (MTHOF) and the newest members join a dozen luminaries chosen in 2013. The 2014 inductees had careers marked by significant milestones. Concern was the first Maryland-bred winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1 and the first state-bred to earn $2 million in a single year. Tuscalee, a 2013 National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductee, is the all-time leading North American steeplechaser by number of wins, and holds the record for most steeplechase wins in a single season.
The two new Hall of Famers were campaigned their entire careers by their breeders. Robert E. Meyerhoff bred Concern, who is a son of Meyerhoff homebred and fellow MTHOF member Broad Brush. Tuscalee was bred by Alfred H. Smith, and raced 10 years for his breeder.
Each was conditioned by only one trainer during his career. Richard Small guided Concern from 2 to 4 to earn $3,079,350, win four graded stakes, including the nation's richest race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1, and count a third in the Grade 1 Preakness.
Tuscalee went into the hands of Joe (Leiter) Aitcheson Sr. as a 2-year-old, made his first start at 3 and ran through age 12. He won at least once every year (for 39 wins from 89 starts) and holds the record of 37 career jump wins. He was named champion steeplechaser by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations in 1966, the year he won a record 10 jump races.
Concern and Tuscalee join 10 flat racers and two steeplechasers who are MTHOF members: Broad Brush, Challedon, Cigar, Find, Gallorette, Jameela, Politely, Safely Kept, Twixt and Vertex on the flat and steeplechasers Elkridge and Jay Trump. The honorees, with biographies, photos, videos and complete race records, are showcased here.
The MTHOF endeavors to celebrate the racing and stud-book achievements of Maryland-bred Thoroughbreds nationally and internationally, and to showcase their enduring legacies. The planning committee representing varied state racing interests determined MTHOF eligibility for flat runners and steeplechasers retired from racing at least five years.
A celebration to recognize this year’s class of inductees will take place on Thursday evening, April 3, at the historic George Peabody Library in Baltimore during the Maryland Horse Breeders Association's annual awards dinner.
For more information, contact the Maryland Horse Breeders Association at 410-252-2100.