Post Boy to join Md. Thoroughbred Hall of Fame
First in effort to recognize historic horses
Press Release
September 2, 2026
The Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame will add Post Boy, a foal of 1800, to the class it will induct Friday, Sept. 4 in a ceremony during live racing at Timonium.
The Hall of Fame has expanded this year to add a horse of historic significance. The first Historic Hall of Fame member, Post Boy, is one of Maryland’s earliest top-class race horses. He was selected by the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame historic advisory committee and voted on by a committee of Maryland racing industry members coordinated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Racing Media Association.
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Post Boy was a son of Gabriel, a multiple King’s Plate winner at Newmarket, England, in 1795 and 1796, and a mare by Hyder Ally. Bred by Mordecai Hall of West River, Md., the dark bay was sold to Charles Carnan Ridgely of Hampton plantation, and trained by Charles Duvall.
From 1803 through 1809, the era of 4-mile races, Post Boy won 13 of 16 career starts while defeating many of the best in competition. His most important wins came at the Washington Jockey Club’s National Course in Washington City (now Washington, D.C.)., where he won the prestigious Washington Jockey Club Cup in 1804 and 1805. He also counted wins at tracks in Virginia and Pennsylvania. “His speed was regarded by some as matchless,” wrote Benjamin Ogle Tayloe in Spirit of the Times.
“The most knowledgeable persons of the day talked about the horse in a grand manner,” said Don Walsh, a devoted Maryland racing historian, member of the historic advisory committee, and proponent for Post Boy’s induction for years. “When John S. Skinner [founder of the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine] says: ‘Emphatically the great Maryland horse,’ I take that to mean that Post Boy is the best Maryland-bred in Skinner’s opinion.” Walsh noted that adding Post Boy to the Hall of Fame expands recognition of Maryland’s racing legacy over more than 200 years.
The Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame will consider the addition of a historic Maryland-bred once every three years. Foals born prior to 1935 will be considered. A recommendation by the historic advisory committee will be presented to a committee of Maryland racing industry members coordinated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Racing Media Association to be approved.
Post Boy will be celebrated alongside other 2026 Hall of Fame inductees Bee Bee Bee and Include on Sept. 4 in a ceremony in the Timonium winner’s circle.
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