Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra lead 10 nominees for Hall of Fame

Four jockeys, four Thoroughbreds and two trainers comprise the 10 finalists on the National Museum of Racing's 2016 Hall of Fame ballot, as selected by the Museum's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. The finalists are: jockeys Ramon Dominguez, Victor Espinoza, Garrett Gomez and Craig Perret; Thoroughbreds English Channel, Kona Gold, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta; and trainers Steve Asmussen and David Whiteley.

Dominguez, English Channel, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are first-time finalists. Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. A maximum of four candidates with the highest vote totals -- provided they receive majority approval (50.1 percent) of the voting panel -- will be elected to the Hall of Fame. If less than than four candidates receive "yes" votes from a majority of voters, there will be fewer than four inductees in 2016. The results of the voting on contemporary candidates will be announced on April 25. The induction ceremony will be held at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, New York, on August 12 at 10:30 a.m. (EDT). The ceremony is free and open to the public.

The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame's 16-member Nominating Committee from a total of 82 initial candidates suggested by turf journalists, Thoroughbred industry participants and racing fans. To be eligible, trainers must have been licensed for 25 years, while jockeys must have been licensed for 20 years. Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years before becoming eligible. All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived, at the discretion of the Museum's Executive Committee. Dominguez, who rode from 1996 through 2013 before suffering a career-ending injury, had the 20-year requirement waived by the Executive Committee. Candidates not active within the past 25 years are eligible through the Historic Review process.

Ramon Dominguez, 39, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, won 4,985 races (23 percent) and $191,620,277 in his career and won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He led all North American riders in earnings each of those years, setting a record of $25,639,432 in 2012. Dominguez led all jockeys in wins in 2001 and 2003 and was second in wins on seven other occasions. He won a total of 20 individual meet riding titles on the New York Racing Association circuit, including a record 68 wins at Saratoga in 2012.

The overall leading rider in New York from 2009-12, Dominguez won a total of 44 Grade 1 races in his career, including 25 from 2010 through 2012. He won three Breeders' Cup races: the 2004 Turf (Better Talk Now), 2011 Juvenile (Hansen) and 2012 Turf (Little Mike). Dominguez was the regular rider of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace and his other top mounts included champions Gio Ponti and Hansen, as well as Alpha, Stay Thirsty, Fabulous Strike, Eight Belles, Better Talk Now, Haynesfield and Bluegrass Cat. Dominguez won multiple editions of the Man o' War, Manhattan H., Beldame, Remsen and Arlington Million, as well as single runnings of the Travers, Sword Dancer, Wood Memorial, Hollywood Derby, Suburban H., Jockey Club Gold Cup, Apple Blossom and Woodward, among others.

Prior to settling in New York, Dominguez was the leading rider at Delaware Park from 2004-07 and won multiple meet titles at Laurel and Pimlico. He won a total of 160 graded stakes and currently ranks 17th all time in earnings and 32nd in wins.

Victor Espinoza, 43, a native of Tulancingo, Mexico, has won 3,266 races (15 percent) with earnings of $186,231,530 through March 8. An Eclipse Award finalist in 2015 when he rode Horse of the Year American Pharoah to the first Triple Crown in 37 years, Espinoza has a total of seven victories in the Triple Crown series, including five in the past two years. He has three wins in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and one in the Belmont. Espinoza has ranked in the top 10 nationally in earnings seven times since 2000, including a peak position of No. 3 in both 2004 and 2006. He won 38 graded stakes from 2014 through 2015, including 19 Grade 1s. With American Pharoah and 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome, Espinoza has won a total of 15 graded stakes to date.

In 2015, Espinoza won Grade 1 races with Finnegans Wake, Hard Aces, Stellar Wind and Hard Not to Like in addition to the six Grade 1s he scored with American Pharoah, which included the Breeders' Cup Classic, Haskell Invitational and Arkansas Derby in addition to the Triple Crown. In 2014, Espinoza won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Derby and San Felipe with California Chrome. His other Grade 1 wins in 2014 included the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Starlet with champion Take Charge Brandi and the FrontRunner and Del Mar Futurity with juvenile champion American Pharoah.