McCarron Is Elected to Racing Hall of Fame

Chris McCarron, whose mounts have won more than $108 million in purses, and the late Jim Maloney, who trained the champions Lamb Chop and Gamely, have been elected to the Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Listed on the ballot for the first time, the 34-year-old McCarron beat Sandy Hawley, Ron Brumfield, Jacinto Vasquez and Jorge Velasquez in voting by more than 100 selectors.

Alydar, arguably the best horse never to win a Triple Crown race, was also voted into the Hall of Fame, along with the race mare Affectionately and Black Gold, who won the Kentucky Derby in 1924.

Induction ceremonies for McCarron, Maloney and the three horses are scheduled for Aug. 10.

McCarron, who is now based in California, started riding in Maryland in 1974 and won 546 races that year, breaking the record of 515 that Hawley had set the year before.

McCarron won the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice in 1974. In 1980, when he led the nation in purses with $7.6 million, he won the Eclipse for best journeyman. McCarron has led the nation on the money list two other times and led in races won with 468 in 1975 and 405 in 1980.

Last year, McCarron’s top horse was Alysheba, the horse of the year. The Rochester, Mass., native won 16 major races--including five worth $1 million or more--and had a purse total of $13.7 million.

Another horse of the year that McCarron rode regularly was John Henry. Some of his other leading mounts have included Precisionist, Turkoman, Lemhi Gold and Lord Avie.

McCarron, who is closing in on 5,000 victories, won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness with Alysheba in 1987.

Maloney, who died in 1984, won national titles with Lamb Chop and Gamely and also trained Traffic Judge and Proud Birdie. He saddled 46 stakes winners at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.

Alydar is best remembered for losing to Affirmed by a total of less than two lengths in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont in 1978. But the Calumet Farm colt won nine stakes, including the Flamingo, the Florida Derby, the Blue Grass, the Travers and the Whitney Handicap.

Affectionately, winner of 28 races, was the nation’s best sprinter in 1965. Affectionately won the Vagrancy Handicap while carrying 137 pounds.

Black Gold is the only Louisiana Derby winner to have won the Kentucky Derby. He ended his career with 18 wins in 35 starts.