Trainers Remember One Of Their Own

Hall of Famers D. Wayne Lukas, Shug McGaughey and Bill Mott, and all-time Saratoga Race Course win leader Todd Pletcher are among the trainers scheduled to sign autographs on Sunday, August 10 to benefit pancreatic cancer research.

The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. outside the jockeys silks room. For a $5 donation, fans can get autographs from their favorite trainers with proceeds going to the Lustgarten Foundation in memory of late trainer Dominic Galluscio.

Galluscio passed away at the age of 55 on March 17 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. A popular and respected figure among his peers, Galluscio trained 1,047 winners and earned more than $31 million in purses over a career that began in 1981 and was spent primarily on the New York Racing Association circuit.

Also scheduled to participate are trainers Bobby Barbara, Jim Bond, Chad Brown, Bruce Brown, David Cannizzo, Carl Domino, Chris Englehart, Jeremiah Englehart, Mitch Friedman, Gary Gullo, Mike Hushion, David Jacobson, Jimmy Jerkens, Steve Klesaris, Pat Kelly, Bruce Levine, Kiaran McLaughlin, Rudy Rodriguez, Dominic Schettino, Gary Sciacca, Phil Serpe, Barclay Tagg, John Terranova, Wesley Ward and George Weaver.

To recognize pancreatic cancer's awareness color, horses will wear purple saddlecloths in one of Sunday's races to be named in honor of Galluscio. In addition, jockeys will wear purple armbands for all of Sunday's races.

Founded in 1999 and based in Bethpage, N.Y., the Lustgarten Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the mission of advancing scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer. It is the largest private foundation dedicated solely to funding pancreatic cancer research.