National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Overhauls Selection Process

The hall is making changes to its nominating and election process ahead of this year's cycle.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York is making significant changes to its nominating and election process for inductees, including reducing the size of the voting panel, limiting the number of times retired candidates can appear on the ballot, and moving to an electronic voting system.

Why it matters

The Hall of Fame's selection process has come under scrutiny in recent years, with some questioning the integrity and fairness of the process. These changes are aimed at ensuring the process is defined by "absolute integrity" and yields the most deserving inductees.

The details

The Hall of Fame is reducing its voting panel from 172 members to 154, dropping over two dozen voters after a survey last December. New voters have been invited to participate, resulting in a "contemporary voting group." Retired horse, jockey and trainer candidates will now have a maximum of 10 times they can appear on the ballot before transitioning to a historic review process, though there is no limit for active jockeys and trainers. Voters will also receive past voting percentages as a reference tool.

  • The changes will be implemented ahead of the 2026 Hall of Fame election cycle.
  • The Hall of Fame survey that led to the voting panel changes was conducted in December 2025.

The players

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The organization that oversees the Hall of Fame for horse racing in Saratoga Springs, New York.

D.G. Van Clief

The chair of the Hall of Fame's nominating committee.

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What they’re saying

“Our goals are to ensure this process is always defined by absolute integrity and that it yields the most deserving class of Hall of Fame inductees each year.”

— D.G. Van Clief, Nominating Committee Chair (newyorkupstate.com)

What’s next

The new selection process will be implemented for the 2026 Hall of Fame induction class.

The takeaway

These changes to the Hall of Fame's selection process aim to improve the integrity and fairness of the induction process, ensuring the most deserving candidates are selected each year and addressing past criticisms of the system.