Tom Fool – The Incredible Thoroughbred from 1950's – EzineMark

A grade 3 event, the Tom Fool Handicap race came into existence as an honour paid to one of the finest thoroughbreds from the world racing history, Tom Fool, who was ranked 11 by the Blood-Horse magazine for his amazing performance as a potential thoroughbred highly renowned for his supremacy over many contenders of his generation.

The handicap race started in the year 1975, just a year before Tom Fool’s demise. The race open to three year olds and up is run for six furlongs and offers prize money of $150,000. Run annually at the Aqueduct in the first quarter of the year, the record performance has been achieved by Calibrachoa in 2011; previous record performance was accomplished by Left Bank in 2002 when the race was run at 7 furlongs.

The recognition of honouring Tom Fool with a thoroughbred race happened due to his excellence at racing as well as at siring. Tom Fool sired as many as 30 stakes winners which include U.S. Horse of the Year 1966, Buckpasser; Triple Crown races winner Tim Tam and leading two year old and sire Silly Season.

Tom Fool’s career was one that sported a good 30 starts in a career of three years with only one out of money finish. He won 21 races, finished second in 7 and third in 1. His first racing year as a Two-Year-Old saw him competing in 7 races in all; he won five of them and finished second in 2. This brought him to instant limelight as he won the Champion Two Year Old Colt for 1951.

Having finished second in the 1952 Wood Memorial Stakes, one which was greatly anticipated to be an obvious win for the three year old, Tom Fool underwent a veterinarian check-up that revealed he had contracted fever and had contended for the race while still ill. The bad health kept him out of many prominent races including the Triple Crown. However with his comeback almost a couple of months later, Tom Fool went on to win the Jerome Handicap and finish third in the Travers. He also won the Empire City Handicap and pulled of a twelve race in the money finish in a season of thirteen starts.

He started once again as a four year old and avenged his Triple Crown absence with a win at the New York Handicap Triple Crown winning all three Metropolitan Handicap along with the Suburban and Brooklyn Handicap. Tom Fool was awarded the Horse of the Year award for his incredible performance as an older horse. 1965, he was also a leading sire in Britain and Ireland. Blood-Horse magazine ranked him 11 and the Hall of Fame inducted the racer in 1960.

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