In August 2017, when he was appointed president of the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, John Hendrickson summarized his vision for expanding the 67-year-old Saratoga institution’s appeal to the public. a simple philosophy.
Hendrickson said that day: “Our job is not just to introduce history. “We have to reach out and promote the sport. The museum has always done well in tradition and we want to maintain the prestige of the place, but we have to go out and engage the next generation, information recipients via smart devices.”
That means technology. And it means thinking beyond the ordinary. About five and a half years later, even after closing for eight months in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and for renovation—the National Museum of Racing has taken up the challenge with a new series of interactive activities, all over the world. more expressive and unique. Exhibitions, shows and partnerships have broadened the appeal. The strategy is working: the 2022 Hall of Fame attendance is up 10% year over year.
Director of the Racing Museum and Hall of Fame Cate Masterson said: “John really brings a lot of energy and wants to actively make the Hall of Fame a destination that visitors come once a year otherwise. I mean once a season. “We ask people, ‘When was the last time you visited the Hall of Fame?’ And they will say, ‘Been there, did it.’ It needs to change. We want to be a year-round destination.”
Visit the beautiful red-brick building on Union Avenue—the building lined with decorative jockey statues in front and across from Saratoga Racecourse—and the change is evident. The history of the game is still there as always. The “new” too, underpinned by an updated website and a more prominent social media presence, creates a rich mix of services with “a lot of newness to it” , as one employee said.
“We’re giving horse racing enthusiasts a reason to visit the Hall of Fame often rather than every few years by updating our exhibits more frequently, events new and expanded program,” said the National Equestrian Museum and Hall of Fame, communications director Brien Bouyea. “And we’re building a fuller schedule of year-round events to appeal to more casual or non-racing fans. When John presents his vision, we see it as a real chance to reinvent yourself.”
New products include the 16-minute introductory film What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame, narrated by Bob Costas, conveying the excitement of the sport, the passion behind its legacy. this sport and some stories about “what to do”. as the title suggests, is one of the best of the best in the Hall of Fame.
Shot and produced by Donna Lawrence Productions, the film highlights Hall of Famers such as Javier Castellano, Angel Cordero Jr., Pat Day, D. Wayne Lukas, Shug McGaughey, Bill Mott, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens and John Velazquez, along with the others .
Even the cinema itself has been upgraded, with cinema screens that drop from the ceiling and are viewable from cinema seats. The old Hall of Fame gallery also differs from nine interactive stations that have in-depth digital arrays for each of the 470 inductees in the Hall of Fame, replacing these. The exhibition features more than 100 videos and 2,500 photos.
Other new exhibitions and shows include:
Bet on America—The Immigrant Experience and the Hall of Fame: Opened last summer, Hall’s first bilingual exhibit chronicles the life and impact of the sport of the born Hall of Famers. outside the United States. Exhibits feature interactive content, artwork, memorabilia and photography in telling their often inspirational stories.
Educational Tours for Students: Introduced last month by museum educator Matt Reichel, the five-course 90-minute series is ideal for teachers looking to enhance hands-on learning. Depending on age, students can enjoy up-close and personal tours of the museum’s extensive collection of equine paintings and sculptures, as well as the opportunity to visit the archives to learn how they are preserved. historical museum. Elementary students have the opportunity to draw their own silks for horse racing, test the horseshoes and experience the race on a simulator.
Race Day Gallery: This new exhibit showcases the Paddock, Track and Winner’s Circle, giving visitors the three essentials of a day at the races. From racing equipment, artifacts, and graphics to images of some of the most prominent paddocks and racetracks in the United States, the exhibit showcases the best of Thoroughbred racing. It also puts you “there,” with the photos in the Winner’s Circle and the soundtrack adding detail and atmosphere to the experience.
Call the race: And you’re ready…with the chance to call some of the sport’s most famous events like a professional racetrack announcer. Featuring an introduction by legendary race car driver Tom Durkin of the New York Racing Association, the exhibit gives you the opportunity to study a video of the race before creating a digital race record call to bring home.
At the Races with Saul Steinberg: Opening last month, the exhibition showcases the racing work of the late artist, who was known for his quirky ink drawings for more than half a century in The New. Yorker. Steinberg visited Saratoga Springs in 1952 on authorization from Harper’s to provide drawings for a paper on the city, which is said to have spurred his interest in Thoroughbred racing.
Museum curator Jessica Cloer said: “We are delighted to present Saul Steinberg’s artwork in a different light and bring together those who appreciate art and Thoroughbred racing. .
However, other new projects blend the old with a current twist. Hall recently announced a partnership with the UK’s Newmarket-based National Museum of Equestrianism in a social media content sharing program focused on the racing icon’s international heritage. Paul Mellon car. Starting mid-April, Hall and Newmarket will be sharing educational content across platforms about Mellon’s significant footprint to racing in the US and UK. There will be weekly posts, 10 total, ending on Mellon’s birthday, June 11th.
Mellon is also at the heart of another partnership, this partnership with the Virginia-based Oak Spring Garden Foundation, which on February 18 at the Tampa Bay Downs will screen the documentary Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart, chronicling the legendary story of Mellon. Mill Reef racehorse. Named Horse of the Year in the UK and Europe in 1971 when it won the Epsom Derby, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Eclipse Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Mill Reef was multiplied by Mellon breed in Virginia and campaigned under his stables in Europe from 1970-72. Overall, Mill Reef won 12 out of 14 starts; he was trained by Ian Balding.
More exhibits and features are ahead. Tapping this spring, an exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Secretariat winning the Triple Crown, will travel during the Triple Crown season to all three venues — Churchill Downs in Louisville, Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore and Belmont Park in Elmont, NY On the way are updates to the film, What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame; and an exhibit of photographs by the late NYRA photographer Bert Morgan, who was inducted in 2022 for the Joe Hirsch Media Honors of the Racing Museum. And this summer during the Saratoga meetup, Durkin will again lead gallery tours.
For Hendrickson, many elements of the “reimagined” Hall of Fame are now a reality. “Our goal is to be the best sports Hall of Fame in the country, and we’ve been looking for the best in the country to achieve that,” he recently told NYRA TV. “I think we’ve accomplished our goal of being the best … and I’m very proud of this team.”
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
