Tom Fool
Encyclopedia
Tom Fool was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse, a winner of the American Horse of the Year award and a Hall of Fame
inductee. He sired the outstanding racehorses Buckpasser
and Tim Tam
.
He was bred by Duval A. Headley and owned by Greentree Stables. Tom Fool was a bay colt
by the good racehorse and sire, Menow
out of Gaga by Pharamond II. He was a half-brother to the good two-year-old Aunt Jinny. Greentree Stables purchased Tom Fool privately as a yearling for $20,000.
and ridden by Ted Atkinson
. In his two-year-old season, he had five wins and two seconds in seven starts, a performance which earned him Champion 2-Year-Old Colt honors for 1951.
Much was expected of Tom Fool in his three-year-old season but after he finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes
, the horse's veterinarian discovered he had raced with a high fever. The illness sidelined Tom Fool for more than two months, and he missed the Triple Crown
races. Although his 1952 season was difficult, he won the majority of his races.
In 1953, a healthy four-year-old Tom Fool demonstrated his greatness. Undefeated in ten races, he won at distances ranging from 5½ furlongs to 1¼ miles; he became only the second horse to win New York's
Handicap Triple Crown
– the Metropolitan
, Suburban
and Brooklyn Handicap
s. En route to being voted the American Horse of the Year
, Tom Fool also won the Whitney Stakes and captured the Pimlico Special
by eight lengths. This final start was a win that concluded a perfect four-year-old campaign with 10 stakes wins in as many starts. The Pimlico Special was his fourth consecutive race start in a non-betting race; by this time, few horses would run against him.
He retired with a record of 30 starts for 21 wins, 7 seconds and 1 third for $570,165 in prize money.
in 1960. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #11. The Tom Fool Handicap
, contested at Belmont Park
, is named in his honor.
He retired from stud duties in 1972 and died on 20 August 1976.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse, a winner of the American Horse of the Year award and a Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee. He sired the outstanding racehorses Buckpasser
Buckpasser
Buckpasser was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won he won nine of his eleven race starts for international record winnings for a two-year-old of $586,090. Buckpasser was leading broodmare sire in 1983, 1984 and 1989....
and Tim Tam
Tim Tam
Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit currently manufactured by Arnott's in Australia. A Tim Tam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate....
.
He was bred by Duval A. Headley and owned by Greentree Stables. Tom Fool was a bay colt
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
by the good racehorse and sire, Menow
Menow
Menow was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Hal Price Headley, Menow was foaled on May 19th, late in the year for a Thoroughbred racehorse. His dam was Headley's great runner Alcibiades, who was the U.S...
out of Gaga by Pharamond II. He was a half-brother to the good two-year-old Aunt Jinny. Greentree Stables purchased Tom Fool privately as a yearling for $20,000.
Racing record
Tom Fool was trained by John M. Gaver, Sr.John M. Gaver, Sr.
John Milton Gaver, Sr. was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Mt. Airy, Maryland, John Gaver graduated from Princeton University then worked as a prep school language teacher before eventually embarking on a career in Thoroughbred racing. In 1929, James G...
and ridden by Ted Atkinson
Ted Atkinson
Theodore Francis Atkinson was a Canadian-born American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957....
. In his two-year-old season, he had five wins and two seconds in seven starts, a performance which earned him Champion 2-Year-Old Colt honors for 1951.
Much was expected of Tom Fool in his three-year-old season but after he finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
, the horse's veterinarian discovered he had raced with a high fever. The illness sidelined Tom Fool for more than two months, and he missed the Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
races. Although his 1952 season was difficult, he won the majority of his races.
In 1953, a healthy four-year-old Tom Fool demonstrated his greatness. Undefeated in ten races, he won at distances ranging from 5½ furlongs to 1¼ miles; he became only the second horse to win New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Handicap Triple Crown
New York Handicap Triple
The New York Handicap Triple is the name used to refer to three American handicap races for older Thoroughbred racehorses run by the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York...
– the Metropolitan
Metropolitan Handicap
The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
, Suburban
Suburban Handicap
The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
and Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
s. En route to being voted the American Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
, Tom Fool also won the Whitney Stakes and captured the Pimlico Special
Pimlico Special
The Pimlico Special is an American thoroughbred horse race held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in mid May. It is raced on dirt over a distance of 1³/16 miles . The race is currently open to horses age three and older and offers a purse of $250,000.The Pimlico Special was first run in...
by eight lengths. This final start was a win that concluded a perfect four-year-old campaign with 10 stakes wins in as many starts. The Pimlico Special was his fourth consecutive race start in a non-betting race; by this time, few horses would run against him.
He retired with a record of 30 starts for 21 wins, 7 seconds and 1 third for $570,165 in prize money.
At stud
Tom Fool was syndicated for $1,750,000, as a stallion and initially stood for a $5,000 service fee. He sired the winners of over 650 races in America and England, with over 30 stakes winners, including:- BuckpasserBuckpasserBuckpasser was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won he won nine of his eleven race starts for international record winnings for a two-year-old of $586,090. Buckpasser was leading broodmare sire in 1983, 1984 and 1989....
- 1966 U.S. Horse of the Year, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee - Silly Season (USA), England’s leading two-year-old of 1964 and sire of Lunchtime, a good sire in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. - Tim TamTim Tam (horse)Tim Tam was an American thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Tom Fool and out of the great racing mare Two Lea , the dark bay colt was owned and bred by Calumet Farm...
- won Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Preakness StakesPreakness StakesThe Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, U.S. Racing Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of FameThe National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee - TompionTompionTompion was an American Thoroughbred race horse owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. Immaculately bred, Tompion was the son of the Hall of Fame horse Tom Fool. His damsire was Count Fleet, the 1943 U.S. Triple Crown champion.Trained by Robert L...
- multiple stakes winner, including Grade 1 Santa Anita DerbySanta Anita DerbyThe Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...
, Blue Grass StakesBlue Grass StakesThe Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
and Travers StakesTravers StakesThe Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
in 1960
Honors
Tom Fool was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
in 1960. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #11. The Tom Fool Handicap
Tom Fool Handicap
The Tom Fool Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It was formerly held at Belmont Park. The race is a Grade III event open to horses age three and up who are willing to race the six furlong distance on dirt.The...
, contested at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
, is named in his honor.
He retired from stud duties in 1972 and died on 20 August 1976.