The New York Racing Association announced Aug. 24 that the remains of Hall of Fame filly Ruffian have been transported from Belmont Park to the grounds of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., where the 1970s

• NYRA
• Release Date: August 24, 2023

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The New York Racing Association announced Aug. 24 that the remains of Hall of Fame filly Ruffian have been transported from Belmont Park to the grounds of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., where the 1970s-era champion was foaled and raised.

Ruffian was buried Thursday at Claiborne's Marchmont Cemetery, the final resting place of numerous legends of the sport. The move to Claiborne will dramatically expand public access to her gravesite, in contrast to Belmont Park, where Ruffian's site was clearly visible from the grandstand but inaccessible to fans.

The move to Claiborne will ensure the preservation of Ruffian's remains, buried shortly after her death in 1975 at the base of the flagpole near the finish line at Belmont, where NYRA is beginning the installation of a one-mile synthetic track. 

Bred by Stuart Janney Jr. and his wife, Barbara Phipps Janney, owners of Locust Hill Farm in Glyndon, Md., Ruffian was sired by Reviewer, a son of Bold Ruler, out of the Native Dancer mare Shenanigans. In her brief two-year career, Ruffian won all 10 races she finished, including the Acorn, Mother Goose, and Coaching Club American Oaks (all G1), then known as the American Triple Tiara. 

"I'd like to thank NYRA for preserving and protecting Ruffian's gravesite at Belmont for close to 50 years," said Stuart Janney III, who made the decision to move the remains jointly with Claiborne and NYRA, where he is a board member. "We have been working with NYRA and Claiborne for months, and this is a wonderful outcome that will increase the public's ability to visit the site and pay tribute to Ruffian and her incredible legacy.