It is appropriate that one of the world's best racing museums is to be found in Saratoga, a beautiful town with such rich sporting tradition.

Anybody with a semblance of interest in the evolution of the thoroughbred - the insight focuses on both sides of the Atlantic - should lock in the address '191 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY' and set aside a morning or afternoon for a walk through racing history.

All the big names are there - and from different eras. Man O'War can be found almost as easily as American Pharoah, and while Jerry Bailey pops up on screen with regularity, George Woolf, famous in the Seabiscuit story for deputising for the injured Red Pollard in the 1938 Pimlico Special, is remembered by an exhibit of his favourite saddle.

The saddle is believed to have been given to Woolf by Australian jockey Billy Elliot after the latter won the 1932 Agua Caliente Handicap in Tijuana, Mexico, on the mighty Phar Lap. It had previously been on display in Woolf's restaurant, The Derby, located less than a mile from Santa Anita racetrack in Los Angeles.

The quality of the art in the museum is superb and something of which organisers are very proud.

Taking pride of place is an oil painting, 'Coming To The Start,' by Munnings, dated 1947. One of the runners pictured wears the famous pink, black and white colours of Jock Whitney, once the owner of Greentree Stables, Saratoga.

Victoria Tokarowski, curator of the National Museum of Racing and Hall Of Fame, said: "We try to showcase the whole spectrum (of the racing story) from the art and artefacts but we also focus on the history of the thoroughbred in America.

"Our gallery is organised chronologically, from colonial times to the present day. We do try to show our best art work, particularly in the racing season. The art itself helps tell the history of the sport," she explained.

The Edward P Evans Gallery features dozens of impressive trophies - it is one of 12 galleries in the museum - and these include those won by Trillion in the 1899 American Grand National at Morris Park, Westchester County, NY, and Battleship, the first American-bred to win the Aintree Grand National, with teenager Bruce Hobbs aboard, in 1938.

The most popular section is the Hall Of Fame, according to curator Tokarowski. "People love seeing the plaques on the walls, and reading about the greats of the sport. It is usually our biggest attraction," she said.

"They also love to linger through the art exhibits. We see a lot of traffic in this gallery. And the most popular horse - the one we get most inquiries about - is Secretariat," she added.

Personally, I most enjoyed the Breeders' Cup section, calling up a video of the memorable victory by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's Pebbles in the 1985 Breeders' Cup Turf at Aqueduct. When the filly ridden by Pat Eddery, takes an inside run on the rail and shoots clear of a pack of horses led by Strawberry Road, it still sends a tingle down my spine.