T.V. Lark

T.V. Lark (1957-1975) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned by Chase McCoy of CR Mac Stables and trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member, William Molter. At age two, T.V. Lark won the Arlington Futurity (1959). In 1960, as a three-year-old, he won the California Derby but on April 2, 1960 William Molter died unexpectedly of a heart attack and Paul Parker, a former groom of T.V.Lark, became his trainer. The horse did not run in the Kentucky Derby but in the Preakness Stakes finished a disappointing 6th behind winner Bally Ache. However, he came back to win the 1960 Arlington Classic, the Washington Park Handicap and the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap. He defeated both Sword Dancer and Bally Ache in the 1960 United Nations Handicap.

In 1961, T.V. Lark won several top races and broke the track record on the turf while defeating the great Kelso in the prestigious Washington, D.C. International. His performance in 1961 earned him that year's Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse.

T.V. Lark was retired to stand at stud at owner Preston Madden's Hamburg Place farm in Lexington, Kentucky. A descendant of the great sire Nearco, T.V. Lark was the leading sire in the United States in 1974 when his progeny won 121 races. T.V. Lark was the damsire of the Hall of Fame filly Chris Evert.

T.V. Lark died in 1975 at age 18 and was buried in the equine cemetery at Hamburg Place.

References

• T.V. Lark's pedigree and racing stats