Trainer Leatherbury on Ballot for National Racing Hall of Fame

LAUREL, MD., 03/13/15 – Though snow remains a prominent part of the landscape, there are sure signs of spring in the Maryland air. King Leatherbury is closing in on another birthday, his 82^nd, at the end of March, and win machine Ben’s Cat has returned to the legendary Mid-Atlantic trainer’s barn.

 Now 9, Ben’s Cat has won 28 of 45 starts, 23 of them in stakes, and more than $2.3 million in purses since 2010, after a pelvic fracture as a juvenile delayed his debut.

 “He’s an unbelievable horse. An amazing, unbelievable horse,” Leatherbury said. “Every rider that’s ever ridden him has used those kinds of words. Amazing. He’s been so consistent. They don’t come around much, these kind.”

 The same can be said about Leatherbury. The Baltimore native is one of only five trainers to top 6,000 career wins, ranking fourth with 6,449 and counting behind Dale Baird (9,445), Steve Asmussen (6,985) and Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer (6,850). Leatherbury has one horse entered on Friday’s program at Laurel Park.

 “I feel young and I act young, and if it just wasn’t for mirrors, I would think I was young,” Leatherbury said. “I’ve been lucky. When I think about it, all the guys I started with are dead and gone. It’s amazing. I’ve been very fortunate to last this long and my health has held up.”

 For the first time, Leatherbury’s name appears on the ballot as one of 10 finalists for induction to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The Class of 2015 will be announced April 20, with the ceremony taking place Aug. 7 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“I’ve had a lot of supporters out there and they’ve been around for a long time. Some of them are gone, like Chick Lang and those kinds of guys,” Leatherbury said. “It’s finally come up, and I appreciate it. I certainly thank everyone that has supported me. It truly is an honor to be nominated.”

Leatherbury began his career in 1959, winning his first race with Mister L at Sunshine Park. Educated at the University of Maryland, he spent his first two winters at the track now known as Tampa Bay Downs, but ultimately went home to stay.

“It wasn’t a choice. It was almost that I had to because all my owners were in Maryland and my father had a farm in Maryland. He was a breeder and he kicked me off in the game,” Leatherbury said. “You get your roots in one place. It’s funny. When I was in college, I hated Maryland weather in the winter. Even when the temperature wasn’t real cold, it was a damp cold. I’m going from one building to another and I’m fussing about it and I’m saying, ‘Boy, once I get out on my own, you’ll never catch me in Maryland in the wintertime.’ Of course, I’ve been here every year.”

Over his lengthy career, Leatherbury has won 52 training titles in Maryland, 26 apiece at Laurel Park, Pimlico, and another four at Delaware Park. He won at least 200 races for 11 straight years from 1974-84, had four consecutive 300-win campaigns in the mid 1970s, and was the nation's leading conditioner in 1977 and 1978.

 Now down to a stable of 14 at Laurel, Leatherbury has owned many of the horses he’s trained, primarily at the claiming level. He has also bred some, including Ben’s Cat and Ah Day, a 10-time stakes winner who earned $921,574.

Starting with Do the Bump in the 1976 Allegheny (G3), Leatherbury has won 23 graded stakes with 13 horses including multiple winners Ben’s Cat, Ameri Valay, Taking Risks, Wait for the Lady, Learned Jake, Catatonic, Thirty Eight Go Go and Thirty Eight Paces. Catatonic in the 1987 Hempstead and Taking Risks in the 1994 Iselin mark his lone Grade 1 wins, while Thirty Eight Go Go was another horse he bred.

Leatherbury is looking forward to another year with Ben’s Cat, who reunited with his trainer earlier this month after getting a winter break. The Mister Diz, a Maryland-bred stakes he has won the past five years, has been moved to the new summer meet at Laurel, leaving Ben’s Cat looking for a new spot to make his season debut.

An early stakes goal for Leatherbury is the $100,000 Jim McKay, a five-furlong turf sprint on May 15 at Pimlico and a race Ben’s Cat won in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

“He’s just galloping very lightly. He’s behind his last year’s schedule due to the weather,” Leatherbury said. “We’ve taken it easy on him. He’s a good two weeks behind, but he’s doing fine. We’ll definitely be ready for the Jim McKay.”

In the meantime, Leatherbury will go about his business and not concern himself with things out of his control, such as the weather and whether voters deem him worthy of Thoroughbred racing’s ultimate honor, induction into the Hall of Fame. A member of the Anne Arundel County Hall of Fame, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

“It truly is an honor to be nominated, and I appreciate that. It’s a nice thing to be nominated, no question about that. It’s the highest honor you can get in our industry,” he said. “I never really thought about it. It hasn’t made a big head out of me, but over my career I have received so many honors and awards it’s just amazing. To me, I don’t think of myself as anything special.”