Casse, Castellano among 2017 Hall of Fame Finalists

Eight-time Sovereign Award winning trainer Mark Casse and four-time Eclipse Award-winning rider Javier Castellano are among five jockeys, three trainers and three racehorses that have been tabbed as finalists for the National Museum of Racing’s 2017 Hall of Fame class. Fellow finalists named in a Wednesday morning announcement include jockeys Robby Albarado, Victor Espinoza, Craig Perret and the late Garrett Gomez; trainers John Shirreffs and David Whiteley; and racehorses Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat), Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) and Kona Gold (Java Gold).

Casse, Castellano, Albarado, Shirreffs, Gio Ponti and Goldikova are first-time finalists selected by the Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee from a total of 86 initial candidates suggested by participants in the Thoroughbred industry.

Casse, 56, began his training career in 1979 and has won 2,200 races to date with earnings in excess of $125 million. Inducted to the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame in 2016, Casse currently trains Eclipse Award winners Tepin (Bernstein) and Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile).