LAUREL, MD., 08/06/15- Trainer King Leatherbury says, “I have something to show you.”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a page copied from a book on horoscopes. He directs you to the date circled on the paper – his birthday – March 26.

The copy reads in part: “You are fond of animals. You could be successful as a trainer or owner of race horses.”

“Can you believe it?” Leatherbury asks.

Anything is possible when it comes to King Leatherbury, 82, who will be officially inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame during Friday’s ceremony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Leatherbury, a native of Baltimore who ranks fourth on the all-time win list with 6,457, is still training, still winning races, and still as active as ever. The current star of Leatherbury’s stable is his 9-year-old homebred gelding Ben’s Cat, who has won 29 of 49 starts and $2.4 million.

For Leatherbury, the induction to racing’s Hall of Fame is an honor, but it wasn’t why he got into the sport back in the 1950s, saddling his first winner at old Sunshine Park (now Tampa Bay Downs) in 1959.

“This is nice, the ultimate reward, but it wasn’t an objective of mine,” Leatherbury says. “When I started I just wanted to win races. That was the objective. That’s what I tried to do. This is a very nice honor, the ultimate reward in our industry, but not something that was an objective.”

Quick with a joke, Leatherbury doesn’t always get to the barn at the crack of dawn anymore, but he’s still active each day at the track, handicapping and playing the races and looking for more horses to add to his stable.

“I paid my dues early, the first 20 years (of my career),” said Leatherbury when asked about going out in the mornings. “I knew a guy who used to say, ‘It’s like shaving a dead man. It looks good, but it doesn't do you any good.’ "

Leatherbury says his success in part has been “trying to see things in advance….trying to figure out what’s going to happen next." He also acknowledged his owners. "A trainer is not a trainer if he doesn't have a supply of horses. Every owner I ever had has helped me."

When he does arrive in Saratoga Springs this week, you can bet Leatherbury will be wearing one of his familiar horse ties. Leatherbury said his collection of horse ties goes back many years when attending a function that included sportscaster Chris Lincoln.

“I told Chris I liked the tie he was wearing and he took it off and gave it me,” Leatherbury said. “Once people knew what I liked…then I started getting horse ties. Now we have a deal, all three of us – Chris Lincoln, Lenny Hale and me. We all have great tie collections. When someone passes away, they pass along their ties.

“One guy is going to wind up with the best tie collection in the universe.”

Watch a video of King Leatherbury at https://youtu.be/CKV3hd1q_F8

TAYLOR: "THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER XTRA HEAT"

Kenneth Taylor, co-owner of Hall inductee and Eclipse Award champion Xtra Heat, said he and partners Harry Deitchman and trainer John Salzman Sr. are looking forward to Friday's induction.

"It will be a great day," Taylor said. "Harry, he's 90, is going to be there and John Salzman, too, who should get all the credit. He's just one of the best trainer trainers in the world."

Xtra Heat, purchased for just $5,000 by Salzman out of the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in 2000, went on to win $2.4 million and 25 stakes. She finished second against the boys in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Sprint.

When Taylor was asked what Friday's ceremony will mean to him, the native of Ocala replied; "I'm not a publicity kind of guy. What it means to me is that it's all about the horse. To be in the Hall is to be the best of the best. It's difficult to be a girl sprinter and get an Eclipse award and be elected to the Hall of Fame. It also means that anybody can accomplish anything no matter what your status. You just have to take a shot."

THREE CARRYOVERS ON FRIDAY’S TWILIGHT PROGRAM

Laurel Park will kick off its weekend of racing Friday with a 3:40 p.m. first race post time and three carryovers on its eight-race program (four on the turf).

The Super Hi 5, on Friday's final race (14 maiden claimers entered at 1 1/16 mile on the turf), will have an $8,844.59 carryover while the Pick 5, featuring an industry low 12-percent takeout, has a carryover of $2,173.65. The 10-cent Rainbow 6 will begin with a $2,617.01 carryover.