Tom Fool (1949–1976) 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.[1] He was a half-brother to the good two-year-old Aunt Jinny.[2] Greentree Stables purchased Tom Fool privately as a yearling for $20,000.
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Tom Fool was trained by John M. Gaver, Sr. 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 Handicaps. 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.[3]
He retired with a record of 30 starts for 21 wins, 7 seconds and 1 third for $570,165 in prize money.[3]
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:
Tom Fool was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1960.[4] 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.
| Sire Menow Bay 1935 |
Pharamond II (GB) Bay 1925 |
Phalaris | Polymelus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromus | |||
| Selene | Chaucer | ||
| Serenissima | |||
| Alcibiades Chestnut 1927 |
Supremus | Ultimus | |
| Mandy Hamilton | |||
| Regal Roman (GB) | Roi Herode | ||
| Lady Cicero | |||
| Dam Gaga Bay 1942 |
Bull Dog (FR) Bay 1927 |
Teddy | Ajax (FR) |
| Rondeau | |||
| Plucky Liege (GB) | Spearmint | ||
| Concertina | |||
| Alpoise Bay 1937 |
Equipoise | Pennant | |
| Swinging | |||
| Laughing Queen | Sun Briar | ||
| Cleopatra (Family: 3-j) |