Tom Fool, the American thoroughbred racehorse
The winner of the American Horse of the Year Award, the champion colt Tom Fool was foaled in 1949. The legendary thoroughbred was sired by Menow out of Gaga and is the sire of two of the best racehorses of American horse racing industry Buckpasser and Tim
Tam. The Hall of Fame inductee, the bay coloured stallion Tom Fool was bred and owned by Duval A. Headley and Greentree Stables respectively. He was privately purchased the Greentree Stables for $ 20,000 while he was still a yearling.
At the time of his retirement, the great thoroughbred had a career earning of $ 570,165 under the trainer John M. Gaver, Sr. and his regular jockey Ted Atkinson. Tom Fool started his racing career at the age of two. In his first racing season, he went on
to win 5 career meets while he finished second in seven races. The races in which he clinched the victory that racing season included the Belmont Futurity Stakes (1951), the Grand Union Hotel Stakes (1951) and the East View Stakes. These races are considered
to be some of the major wins by Tom Fool, as his performances in these events won him the United States Champion Two Year Colt Award for the year 1951.
On the basis of his spectacular performances in the previous racing season, fans and those involved in the horse business expected much from Tom Fool as a 3-year-old. Unfortunately, he finished the first race of the 1952 racing season, the Wood Memorial
Stakes in the second place due to high fever. This illness prolonged for more than two months and thus Tom Fool was kept from contending the American Classic races. Despite of the problems that the colt had to face that year, he still managed to win the Jerome
Handicap (1952), the Grey Leg Handicap (1952) and the Empire City Handicap (1952). Apart from these major wins, Tom Fool also finished the 1952 edition of the Wilson Stakes in the first spot.
After recovering, he contended the starts of the 1953 racing season in his best form. He once again proved his remarkable talent as he won ten races. Tom Fool also showcased his versatile potential by winning meets over distances that ranged from 5 ½ furlongs
to 1 ¼ miles long. He then became the second thoroughbred racehorse to have won New York’s Handicap Triple races (the Metropolitan Handicap, Suburban Handicap and the Brooklyn Handicap). The great racehorse then also went on to win the Whitney Handicap (1953),
Carter Handicap (1953) and the Pimlico Special (1953) event. Tom Fool impressed the racing industry and was adorned with some of the most prestigious awards in the country. These included the United States Champion Older Horse (1953), United States Champion
Sprint Horse (1953) and above all the United States Horse of the Year honour.
At the end of his racing career, Tom Fool’s credit list had a record of 21 wins, 7 second place finishes and 1 third place finish out of his 31 career starts. He was then retired to stud. His offspring are winners of multiple stake races (over 650 in America
and England). In the year 1960, the champion colt was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Five years later, he was presented another award for the Leading broodmare sire in Britain and Ireland.
Moreover, he has been ranked #11 in the list of top 100 United States Thoroughbred champions of the 20th century. The Tom Fool Handicap is an event that is held at Belmont Park annually, has been named after Tom Fool.
The racehorse died on the 20th of August 1976.
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