Racing's Greatest and America's Oldest: Selections from the Tony Leonard Collection, McBean Gallery.

On display from July 21, 2017 through February 3, 2019. 

Through the lens of his camera, Tony Leonard (1922-2012) documented the world of Thoroughbred racing for five decades.  Starting in the 1960s in the Bluegrass State of Kentucky, he turned a hobby into a celebrated career by capturing the beauty of the sport and its multitude of personalities — both human and equine — including all three Triple Crown champions of the 1970s.

The National Museum of Racing is honored to showcase a small sample in our special exhibition, Racing's Greatest and America's Oldest: Selections from the Tony Leonard Collection, which focuses on portraits of Hall of Fame members and iconic scenes of America's oldest operating racetrack, historic Saratoga Race Course.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has partnered with the Sherman Grinberg Film Library to share digitized newsreel footage related to the history of Thoroughbred racing with the public. The Sherman Grinberg Film Library, located in Los Angeles, California, is one of the world’s oldest and largest privately held film archives, serving Hollywood and the world film community for more than 75 years. 

The Film Library has more than 20 million feet of historic newsreel footage with content dating mostly from 1895 to 1957. The archive includes the historic Paramount Newsreels, first called Eyes of the World (silent era) and later Eyes and Ears of the World (the “talkies”). It also includes the American Pathé newsreel library, one of the oldest newsreel collections going back to 1897, the Industry on Parade series, Allied Artist Scenic stock footage, and over 3,500 mid-century television and movie theater commercials. 

To date, the Sherman Grinberg Film Library has shared 200 videos with the Museum relating primarily to Hall of Fame members. These videos include the 1942 Preakness won by Alsab, 1940 Belmont Stakes won by Bimelech, 1936 Belmont won by Granville, 1929 Kentucky Derby won by jockey Linus McAtee, 1949 Kentucky Derby won by jockey Steve Brooks, among many others. The Museum will be able to use these videos in future exhibitions, special events, and social media posts. Additionally, researchers and educators can request access to other film reels in the Museum’s Sherman Grinberg Film Library holdings for educational purposes. 

You can find a full list of the videos the Sherman Grinberg Film Library has shared with the Museum here. To view these videos and find more, please visit shermangrinberg.com.    

The John A. Morris Research Library houses a non-circulating collection of more than 5,000 monographs, serials, and periodicals concerning thoroughbred racing in the United States and abroad. Biographies, racing manuals, and stud books are included in the collection. The Library also holds numerous research files and archival materials on artists, horses, jockeys, trainers, racetracks, and other people in the horse racing industry.

Search the collection using the Museum's LibraryWorld online catalogue

Library Highlights - Serials:

• American Racing Manual
• American Steeplechasing
• American Stud Book
• The BloodHorse
• Daily Racing Form Chart Books
• General Stud Book (England)
• Racing Calendar (England)
• Spirit of the Times
• Thoroughbred Record
• Thoroughbred Times

Library Archive Collections:

• Charles S. Howard family scrapbooks (1936-1950) 
• Ed Hotaling 
• Kelso
• Rokeby Stable
• B.A. & H.A. "Jimmy" Jones

Visiting the Library:

The research library is located on the second floor of the National Museum of Racing. Access to the library and its holdings are by appointment only. As a specialized research library, materials do not circulate outside of the Museum and must be used within the library only. To schedule an appointment, please contact Collections Manager Annie Davis at (518) 584-0400 ext. 117 or adavis@racingmuseum.net. 

Policies:

1. All researchers must fill out the Researcher Disclaimer Form at the start of their scheduled appointment. 
2. No food is permitted in the library. Closed containers of water are permitted
3. Researchers may only use pencils while taking notes in the library.
4. Hands must be washed prior to handling library materials. Some objects may not be handled due to condition.
5. Certain materials may be scanned or photocopied by staff. Fees may be applied for services. Researchers must request permission to take photographs inside the library. 
6. Only staff members and volunteers are allowed to pull research materials. 
7. Reference questions may be answered over phone or emails as staff time allows. A research fee of $20 per hour will be charged for extensive research projects.

Sherman Grinberg Film Library:

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has partnered with the Sherman Grinberg Film Library to share digitized newsreel footage related to the history of Thoroughbred racing with the public. The Film Library has more than 20 million feet of historic newsreel footage with content dating mostly from 1895 to 1957. Click here to learn more.

Photography Collection:

The National Museum of Racing houses more than 15,000 photographic images that are separate from the general research collection. All photograph inquiries must be emailed to Collections Manager Annie Davis at (518) 584-0400 ext. 117 or adavis@racingmuseum.net. A number of images in the photography collection can be requested for reproduction. Numerous photographs are copyrighted to individuals, institutions, or organizations other than the National Museum of Racing. The requestor is responsible for obtaining permissions from the appropriate copyright holder. Please visit our Media Request page for more information.

Museum Collection:

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s mission is to preserve and promote the history of Thoroughbred racing in America and honor the sport’s most accomplished participants in the Official National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. The Museum has more than 30,000 objects in its diverse collection of art, artifacts, and memorabilia. If you have a question regarding the Museum's collection please visit our Collections Policy page for more information.

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