Racing Hall Of Fame

For the second consecutive year, jockey Alex Solis is a finalist for horse racing's Hall of Fame. Solis, who is nearing 4,500 wins, including three Breeders' Cup victories and a 1986 Preakness success with Snow Chief, is one of 13 humans and horses announced as finalists Thursday. Jose Santos and Randy Romero are the others in the jockey category, and Gary Jones, John Veitch and Bob Wheeler are the candidates among trainers.

No horse will ever accomplish what Kelso did. Owned by Allaire du Pont, Kelso was a five-time horse of the year before his retirement in 1966. He won 39 of 63 starts and retired as the richest horse in history with earnings of $1,977,196 -- a record that stood until Affirmed surpassed him more than a decade later as prize money grew.

Trainer Nick Zito recalled his first two visits to a racetrack as he was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame on Monday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Brooklyn-born Zito was a young boy when his father, who had exercised horses, took him to Aqueduct and turned him over to a security guard at the New York track for the day.

Pat Day rode the first of his nearly 8,800 winners in 1973. Fifteen years later -- the 15 years a jockey must ride before he is eligible -- Day was still not listed on the Racing Hall of Fame ballot, despite obvious qualifications.

Trainer Nick Zito was voted into the Racing Hall of Fame, it was announced Tuesday, but under new voting rules, no horses or jockeys were elected. Zito, on the ballot with four other trainers, was named on at least 75% of the 163 ballots cast.

Kent Desormeaux, one of three jockeys -- the others are Steve Cauthen and Chris McCarron -- to win an Eclipse Award as both an apprentice and a journeyman, joined those two in the horseracing Hall of Fame on Monday.

Jockey Kent Desormeaux, denied admission to the Racing Hall of Fame in 2002 when the late Jack Westrope carried the ballot, reached the wire first this time.

Other than jockey Kent Desormeaux, the nominations for this year's Racing Hall of Fame election have an overwhelming East Coast flavor. Desormeaux, who rides in Southern California, is on the ballot with Eddie Maple, Randy Romero and Jose Santos.