The four-year-old Tom Fool would make his juvenile championship season of 1951 seem a mere footnote to what he would achieve in 1953. The horse with the kind, gentle disposition off the racetrack had become the most feared on it.
PART THREE: THE MOST FEARED HORSE IN AMERICA
Trainer John Gaver had Tom Fool make his four-year-old debut at Jamaica, on April 25, 1953, among a field of five, limbering up his muscles in an easy 5 1/2 furlong Handicap, offering $7,500 added money, for ages three and up.
Assigned 128 pounds, and giving five to sixteen pounds to his opponents, Tom Fool broke from post one, and took a brief lead before jockey Ted Atkinson settled him down in third, letting Do Report go on with it. At one point the Menow colt was three and a half lengths back, but always moving smoothly and at five furlongs, in :58 2/5, he advanced into second, before surging ahead and pulling away with a two and a half length spread at the wire. The winner's time was a quick 1:04 1/5, just a few ticks shy of the track mark, and the paycheck was $4,930.
Tom Fool returned to Belmont Park for his next three starts, beginning with the inaugural running of the Joe H. Palmer Handicap on May 19. He would carry 130 pounds, spotting six other horses nine to twenty-five pounds, including the ten-year-old veteran Tea-Maker.
Tea-Maker
F. Ambrose Clark's dark bay gelding Tea-Maker, foaled in 1943, didn't begin racing until age five, and then proceeded to rack up 104 starts by the time he met Tom Fool. Sired by the stakes winner Only One out of Tea-Leaves, Tea-Maker's damsire was Pharamond II (GB), Tom Fool's paternal grandsire. In Tea-Maker's first nine starts, seven were over hurdles, at distances of 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 miles, with his best effort a second place finish in the National Maiden on August 6, 1948, at Saratoga. Five days later, he won on the flat in a seven furlong Maiden Special Weight. After resuming flat racing for keeps, Tea-Maker won his next two allowance races, at seven furlongs and 1 1/2 miles, at Aqueduct and Belmont Park respectively, and during his long career continued to compete at a variety of distances up to 2 1/16 miles. The gelding ran largely in lesser handicaps and allowances, but also won the Vosburgh, Autumn Day, Jamaica, Wilmington, Fleetwing, and American Legion Handicaps, with these victories over six or seven furlongs. Tea-Maker would retire in the autumn of 1953, with a resume boasting 115 starts, 29 wins, 23 seconds, 16 thirds, and $211,530.
Joe H. Palmer Handicap
Named after the late turf writer of The New York Herald Tribune, the Joe H. Palmer Handicap was six furlongs. Tom Fool would break from post four, and Tea-Maker, under 114 pounds with Hedley Woodhouse aboard, from post six. Tom Fool, away well, breezed along in second, as Nullify, carrying 105 pounds, started things off. Tom Fool was just coasting along until two furlongs left to run, when he moved ahead to a five length lead, before gearing down at the wire, with a one and a half length margin. Tea-Maker, closing resolutely, arrived next, followed by Dark Peter. The added purse of $15,000 netted Tom Fool approximately $10,000, with the runner-up earning $3,000.
The race had been a glorified workout for the winner, but his next start, in only four days, would prove more challenging.
The Met
The sixtieth running of the one mile Metropolitan Handicap, first leg of the Handicap Triple Crown, had nine original starters, but at post time there were two drop outs, Hitex, a winner over Tom Fool in the previous season's Rippey Handicap, and Bryan G. Tom Fool would again carry 130 pounds.
Seven horses went to the gate, including five-year-old Royal Vale (GB), under 127. A great-grandson of Phalaris (GB), Royal Vale was a former claimer who eventually caught fire in stakes company. He set a grass course record in Hialeah's Miami Handicap, and annexed the Bowie, before winning Jamaica's Gallant Fox and the Dixie at Pimlico. Jack Westrope was in the irons. The 1951 Kentucky Derby winner, Count Turf, would run and carry a mere 109 pounds. He was coupled with Mr. Turf, under 100 pounds, the latter whom Tom Fool was already familiar with as a two-year-old. Now he was giving Mr. Turf thirty pounds. The San Juan Capistrano winner Intent was in the field, in addition to Cold Command, second to Royal Vale in the Gallant Fox and Dixie. It was a solid group and Tom Fool would get a chance to produce some perspiration.
After the field was sent away on a "good" track, Mr. Turf took the lead and maintained his position until the far turn when Tom Fool drifted out and overtook him in the stretch, at which point he veered in. Meanwhile, Royal Vale had come from off the pace to make a strong rally, was almost even with the new leader, but missed the tag by a half length at the finish. Intent, under 125, carried wide by Tom Fool on the turn, finished well to garner third, a half length behind the runner-up. After a quarter in :22 3/5, a half in :46, and a six furlong split in 1:11 1/5, Tom Fool arrived in 1:35 4/5, and picked up $25,800.
Round two
One week later, Tom Fool and Royal Vale met again, in the 1 1/4 mile Suburban Handicap, second race in the handicap "triple" and a distance Tom Fool had covered only once, in August of the previous year, when he finished third in the Travers Stakes, over sloppy going.
The field was paired down to seven after several scratches, namely High Scud, Golden Gloves, Master Fiddle, Risque Rouge, and Tom Fool's stablemate, seven-year-old One Hitter, a very good multiple stakes winning/placed chestnut horse, and a son of another Greentree Stable standout, the duel classic winner Shut Out. One Hitter had won the Suburban in 1952.
The track was labeled "fast" despite its sub-optimum rain moistened condition. Favored Tom Fool, breaking from post one, carried high weight of 128 pounds. Royal Vale, next in the wagering, was in post six, assigned 124, and leaving post five, under 126, was the reigning Horse of the Year (Daily Racing Form) and Three-Year-Old Champion Male One Count.
More than 43,000 showed up to see a horse race, and they were not disappointed. The affair began in the chute, with the runners going two furlongs before entering the main track. Tom Fool and Royal Vale were off sharply, with Tom Fool catching a flyer, covering a quarter in :24, a half in :47 1/5, before zipping six furlongs in 1:11. With Royal Vale in pursuit, the leader went up by three lengths as they came out of the backstretch. Tom Fool finished a mile in 1:35 3/5, but exiting the far turn, Royal Vale was steadily cutting into his lead. Atkinson employed his bat to keep the Menow colt on his business, but Royal Vale was charging, and rapidly moving in. The two horses, in tandem, hit the wire in a photo, the result in Tom Fool's favor by a nose. It was his first win over the classic distance, and he stopped the timer in 2:00 3/5, the second fastest time in the race's history. Whisk Broom II, who went on to sweep New York's three big handicaps in 1913, held the Suburban record of 2:00, under 139 pounds.
The race, a $50,000 added affair, meant a nice sum of $40,400 for the winner, which increased his career earnings to almost $395,000.
Crossing over
Tom Fool, four for four on the year, was now one race away from joining Whisk Broom II, as the only other horse to win the Handicap Triple Crown; however, the 1 1/4 mile Brooklyn Handicap, the series' third leg, wasn't until July 11. In the interim he was going to make another start, which marked the colt's transition from a very good racehorse to a great one. After winning a major ten furlong contest, Tom Fool would now move to Aqueduct on June 27, and cut back to the seven furlong Carter Handicap; if he won, he would do so under 135 pounds, the heaviest weight ever successfully carried in the test. Going from a classic route to a seven furlong race was a tall order, let alone having to do so with a high impost.
The Carter Handicap
The race was first run in 1895, with a purse of $600. Initially at a distance of 1 1/4 miles, and won by six-year-old Charade, under 110 pounds, in a time of 2:11 3/5, the Carter Handicap morphed into the seven furlong contest it remains today. In 1896, Deerslayer, a four-year-old, also under 110, was victorious in a shortened 1 1/8 mile affair. In its third year, the race was shortened again to 1 1/16 miles, annexed by Premiere. The following season, the Carter was just shy of seven furlongs, and in 1899 through 1902, was contested at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Several horses won the Carter twice, including Audacious in 1920-21, Osmand, 1928-29, Flying Heels, 1930-31, and later Forego, 1974-75, and Lite the Fuse, 1995-96. Prior to the 1953 edition, only four winners had carried at least 130 pounds, Old Rosebud, under 130, in 1917, Naturalist, under 132, in 1919, Osmand, also under 132, in 1929, and Apache, under 130, in 1945.
Impressive
The 53rd running of the Carter Handicap, offering $59,800, saw nine horses go to the gate, with Tom Fool set to leave from post five, conceding to his rivals thirteen to twenty-nine pounds. Tom Fool's stablemate, Northern Star, currently owned the track record of 1:22, set in 1952, under 115. Could Tom Fool even come close to that time under twenty additional pounds, particularly after just running a 1 1/4 mile race under 130? The question wasn't only the weight assignment but whether the distance disparity, going long to short, might have dulled his speed.
The track was fast, and after the gates opened, Tea-Maker got the jump, but was passed by Tom Fool, before Atkinson shuffled him back into fifth place, and let Squared Away, under 122, do the honors. The situation remained unchanged and Squared Away was going along with a good advantage, with Tom Fool still around mid-pack until the turn into the home stretch. Atkinson let him know it was time, but never whipped him, and Tom Fool accelerated, coming to terms with Squared Away a half furlong out, then easily went ahead, putting more space between himself and his rivals. He hit the finish eased up with a two length margin, and was followed by Squared Away, who was just over two lengths ahead of Eatontown, under 113. After rapid splits of :22, :44 3/5, and six furlongs in 1:09 2/5, Tom Fool's final time was 1:22, equaling Northern Star's record. Going off at 13-20, Gaver's superstar picked up $41,700 after one of the most impressive performances of the era.
In Perspective
To give some perspective to what Tom Fool had done, in all the future editions of the Carter Handicap, only one other horse, Bold Ruler, one of the decade's fastest runners, would be victorious under 135 pounds, five years later, in a time of 1:22 3/5 on a fast track. Prior to the Carter, Bold Ruler ran in the six furlong Toboggan, just shy of two weeks earlier, a contest he won under 133. Following the Carter sixteen days later, Bold Ruler, under 135, finished second in the one mile Metropolitan, two lengths behind Gallant Man (GB), under 130. Bold Ruler's three races were within a span of twenty-nine days, always going shorter to longer incrementally.
Tom Fool had sandwiched his track record equaling Carter win between two 1 1/4 mile races, the Suburban, on May 30, and what would be his next start following the Carter, the Brooklyn Handicap on July 11, albeit in the much longer span of forty-three days. In the Brooklyn, the finale of the handicap triage, Tom Fool would carry 136 pounds.
Triple threat
In 1936, Discovery won the Brooklyn Handicap for the third consecutive time, at the shorter distance of 1 1/8 miles, becoming the first horse to do it under 136 pounds. Today it is run at 1 1/2 miles, at Belmont Park, but during various other time spans the coverage was 1 1/4 miles. One other horse, Forego, in 1974-76, won the race three times, the latter two over ten furlongs, with his third victory under 134 pounds. The stakes record for that distance is 1:59 1/5, set by Damascus, under 130 pounds, in 1968.
In the days of the extraordinary handicap champions, a great weight carrying horse didn't simply pack a heavy load; he also conceded plenty of it. The Brooklyn initially had seven starters, for whom Tom Fool would have conceded twenty-six to thirty-four pounds. Except for Golden Gloves, around 8-1 odds, everyone else was in double digits with Tom Fool around 1-10.
The 1953 Brooklyn offered an added $50,000 purse. At post time the field had been cut to five, with Tom Fool going off at 1-4, higher than originally assumed due to concern for the load he would pack, and the twenty-six to thirty-one pound allowance he gave the others. The bettors needn't have been concerned. When the group left the gate, Golden Gloves, under 110, took the initiative with Tom Fool tracking closely in second. In the far turn, he made his move, overhauled Golden Gloves in the stretch, and easily coasted home, geared down which reduced the final margin to one and a half lengths. Golden Gloves arrived next, seven lengths ahead of High Scud, carrying 109.
The splits were :24, :48 3/5, 1:13 2/5, 1:38, and 2:04 2/5. Tom Fool earned just under $38,000 to lift his career total to $474,590, putting him eleventh on the all-time list.
In 1961, the great gelding Kelso became the third horse to win the triage. He took the Met under 130, Suburban under 133, and the Brooklyn also under 136. Within these races, Kelso finished second in the Whitney, over 1 1/8 miles, carrying 130, but was elevated to first on disqualification of the winner.
In 1984, Fit to Fight, a bay colt by Chieftain out of Hasty Queen II, whose sire and damsire were Bold Ruler and One Count respectively, completed the Handicap Triple Crown as a five-year-old. His Metropolitan win was under 124 pounds, Suburban under 126, and 1 1/2 mile Brooklyn under 129.
Beginning with his final race in 1952, Tom Fool had won seven consecutive starts. He was so feared that Aqueduct had allowed only win betting in the Brooklyn to prevent a minus pool, and the disgruntled fans made their dissatisfaction known; and in his four remaining races in 1953, at three other tracks, no betting of any kind was allowed.
Scared
Tom Fool would make his next two starts at Saratoga, followed by a race at Belmont Park, and conclude his career at Pimlico. He would merely "toy" with the few brave rivals who dared face him over distances of one mile, 1 1/4 miles, one mile again, and 1 3/16 miles. In each start he would be asked to carry "only" 126 pounds.
Most trainers would not run their horses against him. In the upcoming Wilson Stakes, on August 4, which he had won as a three-year-old, and Whitney Handicap, four days later, Tom Fool faced just one horse each.
The five-generation outcross, Indian Land, was a four-year-old bay horse, owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt and trained by Bill Winfrey. Indian Land would race for seven years, post 126 starts, and later in 1953, win the Vosburgh Handicap. To prevent Tom Fool from simply galloping around the rain drizzled track in a walkover, Vanderbilt entered his horse as a sporting gesture. Indian Land had no chance of winning, but would pick up $3,000 of second money. Tom Fool, always in command during the contest, did as he pleased, never in any hurry, and arrived home eight lengths to the good of his rival after setting modest fractions of :23 2/5, :46 2/5, 1:11 1/5, and finally the mile in 1:37 1/5. He earned $10,925, to increase his total bankroll to $485,515, and was now among history's top ten earners.
Tom Fool faced Putnam Stable's Combat Boots, who received a twelve pound pull, in the 1 1/4 mile Whitney Handicap. Combat Boots was another trooper, a five-year-old bay horse, and a son of 1940 Two-Year-Old Champion Male Our Boots, out of the unraced mare Miss Dodo, by Man o'War. Combat Boots would finish up his career as a black-type winner, and record 100 starts.
Combat Boots, with Eugene Rodriguez riding, led through the first part of the race, and kept at it with a two length advantage in the backstretch before Atkinson, with no urging, asked the question. Tom Fool promptly answered, going in front with five-sixteenths to go. He continued easily and out-finished his brave foe by three and a half lengths at the wire, in a pedestrian 2:05 2/5, over a fast track, before more than 23,000 in the seats. The $23,000 purse netted the champion $18,250, and lifted him over the half million mark in earnings. Combat Boots didn't walk away empty-handed either, and was paid $5,000 for showing up.
Who's next?...
Tom Fool would now return to Belmont Park and run in the Sysonby Mile, on September 26, before calling it a career in the Pimlico Special on October 24. Alerted, now five-years-old, and whom Tom Fool defeated in last year's Sysonby and Greg Lag Handicap, would reunite with him for both races, and at equal weights. The outstanding filly Grecian Queen, a dark bay/brown daughter of Heliopolis (GB) would also run in the Sysonby. Grecian Queen was no pushover. After her career got off to a slow start at age two, Grecian Queen went on to annex the Schuylerville, Astarita, Demoiselle, and a division of the Marguerite Stakes. As a three-year-old, she had already won the Prioress, Coaching Club American Oaks, Gazelle, New Castle Handicap, and Monmouth Oaks, and was headed for a championship. She had never run outside her division however, and as good as she was, it was hard to imagine a female sophomore taking down the four-year-old titan, Tom Fool, who had now won his last nine starts, and remained perfect during the current campaign.
Is there any competition out there?
Tom Fool was arguably the best racehorse in America; but he wasn't the most famous. That distinction went to an immensely popular three-year-old gray colt, who in two years had thus far won seventeen of eighteen starts, with his only loss, by a head, due to a poor trip. Owned by Vanderbilt and residing in Winfrey's barn, he was a winning machine, cutting down rivals with amazing precision.
If there was any horse with the ability to defeat Tom Fool, it was this one...maybe. Everyone was aware of it, and clamored for a meeting between the two stars. A few racetracks were trying to make arrangements for what could become one of the biggest sporting events of the decade, and probably the greatest equine matchup of the century.
To be continued...
BibliographyTom Fool returned to Belmont Park for his next three starts, beginning with the inaugural running of the Joe H. Palmer Handicap on May 19. He would carry 130 pounds, spotting six other horses nine to twenty-five pounds, including the ten-year-old veteran Tea-Maker.
Tea-Maker
F. Ambrose Clark's dark bay gelding Tea-Maker, foaled in 1943, didn't begin racing until age five, and then proceeded to rack up 104 starts by the time he met Tom Fool. Sired by the stakes winner Only One out of Tea-Leaves, Tea-Maker's damsire was Pharamond II (GB), Tom Fool's paternal grandsire. In Tea-Maker's first nine starts, seven were over hurdles, at distances of 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 miles, with his best effort a second place finish in the National Maiden on August 6, 1948, at Saratoga. Five days later, he won on the flat in a seven furlong Maiden Special Weight. After resuming flat racing for keeps, Tea-Maker won his next two allowance races, at seven furlongs and 1 1/2 miles, at Aqueduct and Belmont Park respectively, and during his long career continued to compete at a variety of distances up to 2 1/16 miles. The gelding ran largely in lesser handicaps and allowances, but also won the Vosburgh, Autumn Day, Jamaica, Wilmington, Fleetwing, and American Legion Handicaps, with these victories over six or seven furlongs. Tea-Maker would retire in the autumn of 1953, with a resume boasting 115 starts, 29 wins, 23 seconds, 16 thirds, and $211,530.
Joe H. Palmer Handicap
Named after the late turf writer of The New York Herald Tribune, the Joe H. Palmer Handicap was six furlongs. Tom Fool would break from post four, and Tea-Maker, under 114 pounds with Hedley Woodhouse aboard, from post six. Tom Fool, away well, breezed along in second, as Nullify, carrying 105 pounds, started things off. Tom Fool was just coasting along until two furlongs left to run, when he moved ahead to a five length lead, before gearing down at the wire, with a one and a half length margin. Tea-Maker, closing resolutely, arrived next, followed by Dark Peter. The added purse of $15,000 netted Tom Fool approximately $10,000, with the runner-up earning $3,000.
The race had been a glorified workout for the winner, but his next start, in only four days, would prove more challenging.
The Met
The sixtieth running of the one mile Metropolitan Handicap, first leg of the Handicap Triple Crown, had nine original starters, but at post time there were two drop outs, Hitex, a winner over Tom Fool in the previous season's Rippey Handicap, and Bryan G. Tom Fool would again carry 130 pounds.
Seven horses went to the gate, including five-year-old Royal Vale (GB), under 127. A great-grandson of Phalaris (GB), Royal Vale was a former claimer who eventually caught fire in stakes company. He set a grass course record in Hialeah's Miami Handicap, and annexed the Bowie, before winning Jamaica's Gallant Fox and the Dixie at Pimlico. Jack Westrope was in the irons. The 1951 Kentucky Derby winner, Count Turf, would run and carry a mere 109 pounds. He was coupled with Mr. Turf, under 100 pounds, the latter whom Tom Fool was already familiar with as a two-year-old. Now he was giving Mr. Turf thirty pounds. The San Juan Capistrano winner Intent was in the field, in addition to Cold Command, second to Royal Vale in the Gallant Fox and Dixie. It was a solid group and Tom Fool would get a chance to produce some perspiration.
After the field was sent away on a "good" track, Mr. Turf took the lead and maintained his position until the far turn when Tom Fool drifted out and overtook him in the stretch, at which point he veered in. Meanwhile, Royal Vale had come from off the pace to make a strong rally, was almost even with the new leader, but missed the tag by a half length at the finish. Intent, under 125, carried wide by Tom Fool on the turn, finished well to garner third, a half length behind the runner-up. After a quarter in :22 3/5, a half in :46, and a six furlong split in 1:11 1/5, Tom Fool arrived in 1:35 4/5, and picked up $25,800.
Round two
One week later, Tom Fool and Royal Vale met again, in the 1 1/4 mile Suburban Handicap, second race in the handicap "triple" and a distance Tom Fool had covered only once, in August of the previous year, when he finished third in the Travers Stakes, over sloppy going.
The field was paired down to seven after several scratches, namely High Scud, Golden Gloves, Master Fiddle, Risque Rouge, and Tom Fool's stablemate, seven-year-old One Hitter, a very good multiple stakes winning/placed chestnut horse, and a son of another Greentree Stable standout, the duel classic winner Shut Out. One Hitter had won the Suburban in 1952.
The track was labeled "fast" despite its sub-optimum rain moistened condition. Favored Tom Fool, breaking from post one, carried high weight of 128 pounds. Royal Vale, next in the wagering, was in post six, assigned 124, and leaving post five, under 126, was the reigning Horse of the Year (Daily Racing Form) and Three-Year-Old Champion Male One Count.
More than 43,000 showed up to see a horse race, and they were not disappointed. The affair began in the chute, with the runners going two furlongs before entering the main track. Tom Fool and Royal Vale were off sharply, with Tom Fool catching a flyer, covering a quarter in :24, a half in :47 1/5, before zipping six furlongs in 1:11. With Royal Vale in pursuit, the leader went up by three lengths as they came out of the backstretch. Tom Fool finished a mile in 1:35 3/5, but exiting the far turn, Royal Vale was steadily cutting into his lead. Atkinson employed his bat to keep the Menow colt on his business, but Royal Vale was charging, and rapidly moving in. The two horses, in tandem, hit the wire in a photo, the result in Tom Fool's favor by a nose. It was his first win over the classic distance, and he stopped the timer in 2:00 3/5, the second fastest time in the race's history. Whisk Broom II, who went on to sweep New York's three big handicaps in 1913, held the Suburban record of 2:00, under 139 pounds.
The race, a $50,000 added affair, meant a nice sum of $40,400 for the winner, which increased his career earnings to almost $395,000.
Crossing over
Tom Fool, four for four on the year, was now one race away from joining Whisk Broom II, as the only other horse to win the Handicap Triple Crown; however, the 1 1/4 mile Brooklyn Handicap, the series' third leg, wasn't until July 11. In the interim he was going to make another start, which marked the colt's transition from a very good racehorse to a great one. After winning a major ten furlong contest, Tom Fool would now move to Aqueduct on June 27, and cut back to the seven furlong Carter Handicap; if he won, he would do so under 135 pounds, the heaviest weight ever successfully carried in the test. Going from a classic route to a seven furlong race was a tall order, let alone having to do so with a high impost.
The Carter Handicap
The race was first run in 1895, with a purse of $600. Initially at a distance of 1 1/4 miles, and won by six-year-old Charade, under 110 pounds, in a time of 2:11 3/5, the Carter Handicap morphed into the seven furlong contest it remains today. In 1896, Deerslayer, a four-year-old, also under 110, was victorious in a shortened 1 1/8 mile affair. In its third year, the race was shortened again to 1 1/16 miles, annexed by Premiere. The following season, the Carter was just shy of seven furlongs, and in 1899 through 1902, was contested at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Several horses won the Carter twice, including Audacious in 1920-21, Osmand, 1928-29, Flying Heels, 1930-31, and later Forego, 1974-75, and Lite the Fuse, 1995-96. Prior to the 1953 edition, only four winners had carried at least 130 pounds, Old Rosebud, under 130, in 1917, Naturalist, under 132, in 1919, Osmand, also under 132, in 1929, and Apache, under 130, in 1945.
Impressive
The 53rd running of the Carter Handicap, offering $59,800, saw nine horses go to the gate, with Tom Fool set to leave from post five, conceding to his rivals thirteen to twenty-nine pounds. Tom Fool's stablemate, Northern Star, currently owned the track record of 1:22, set in 1952, under 115. Could Tom Fool even come close to that time under twenty additional pounds, particularly after just running a 1 1/4 mile race under 130? The question wasn't only the weight assignment but whether the distance disparity, going long to short, might have dulled his speed.
The track was fast, and after the gates opened, Tea-Maker got the jump, but was passed by Tom Fool, before Atkinson shuffled him back into fifth place, and let Squared Away, under 122, do the honors. The situation remained unchanged and Squared Away was going along with a good advantage, with Tom Fool still around mid-pack until the turn into the home stretch. Atkinson let him know it was time, but never whipped him, and Tom Fool accelerated, coming to terms with Squared Away a half furlong out, then easily went ahead, putting more space between himself and his rivals. He hit the finish eased up with a two length margin, and was followed by Squared Away, who was just over two lengths ahead of Eatontown, under 113. After rapid splits of :22, :44 3/5, and six furlongs in 1:09 2/5, Tom Fool's final time was 1:22, equaling Northern Star's record. Going off at 13-20, Gaver's superstar picked up $41,700 after one of the most impressive performances of the era.
In Perspective
To give some perspective to what Tom Fool had done, in all the future editions of the Carter Handicap, only one other horse, Bold Ruler, one of the decade's fastest runners, would be victorious under 135 pounds, five years later, in a time of 1:22 3/5 on a fast track. Prior to the Carter, Bold Ruler ran in the six furlong Toboggan, just shy of two weeks earlier, a contest he won under 133. Following the Carter sixteen days later, Bold Ruler, under 135, finished second in the one mile Metropolitan, two lengths behind Gallant Man (GB), under 130. Bold Ruler's three races were within a span of twenty-nine days, always going shorter to longer incrementally.
Tom Fool had sandwiched his track record equaling Carter win between two 1 1/4 mile races, the Suburban, on May 30, and what would be his next start following the Carter, the Brooklyn Handicap on July 11, albeit in the much longer span of forty-three days. In the Brooklyn, the finale of the handicap triage, Tom Fool would carry 136 pounds.
Triple threat
In 1936, Discovery won the Brooklyn Handicap for the third consecutive time, at the shorter distance of 1 1/8 miles, becoming the first horse to do it under 136 pounds. Today it is run at 1 1/2 miles, at Belmont Park, but during various other time spans the coverage was 1 1/4 miles. One other horse, Forego, in 1974-76, won the race three times, the latter two over ten furlongs, with his third victory under 134 pounds. The stakes record for that distance is 1:59 1/5, set by Damascus, under 130 pounds, in 1968.
In the days of the extraordinary handicap champions, a great weight carrying horse didn't simply pack a heavy load; he also conceded plenty of it. The Brooklyn initially had seven starters, for whom Tom Fool would have conceded twenty-six to thirty-four pounds. Except for Golden Gloves, around 8-1 odds, everyone else was in double digits with Tom Fool around 1-10.
The 1953 Brooklyn offered an added $50,000 purse. At post time the field had been cut to five, with Tom Fool going off at 1-4, higher than originally assumed due to concern for the load he would pack, and the twenty-six to thirty-one pound allowance he gave the others. The bettors needn't have been concerned. When the group left the gate, Golden Gloves, under 110, took the initiative with Tom Fool tracking closely in second. In the far turn, he made his move, overhauled Golden Gloves in the stretch, and easily coasted home, geared down which reduced the final margin to one and a half lengths. Golden Gloves arrived next, seven lengths ahead of High Scud, carrying 109.
The splits were :24, :48 3/5, 1:13 2/5, 1:38, and 2:04 2/5. Tom Fool earned just under $38,000 to lift his career total to $474,590, putting him eleventh on the all-time list.
In 1961, the great gelding Kelso became the third horse to win the triage. He took the Met under 130, Suburban under 133, and the Brooklyn also under 136. Within these races, Kelso finished second in the Whitney, over 1 1/8 miles, carrying 130, but was elevated to first on disqualification of the winner.
In 1984, Fit to Fight, a bay colt by Chieftain out of Hasty Queen II, whose sire and damsire were Bold Ruler and One Count respectively, completed the Handicap Triple Crown as a five-year-old. His Metropolitan win was under 124 pounds, Suburban under 126, and 1 1/2 mile Brooklyn under 129.
Beginning with his final race in 1952, Tom Fool had won seven consecutive starts. He was so feared that Aqueduct had allowed only win betting in the Brooklyn to prevent a minus pool, and the disgruntled fans made their dissatisfaction known; and in his four remaining races in 1953, at three other tracks, no betting of any kind was allowed.
Scared
Tom Fool would make his next two starts at Saratoga, followed by a race at Belmont Park, and conclude his career at Pimlico. He would merely "toy" with the few brave rivals who dared face him over distances of one mile, 1 1/4 miles, one mile again, and 1 3/16 miles. In each start he would be asked to carry "only" 126 pounds.
Most trainers would not run their horses against him. In the upcoming Wilson Stakes, on August 4, which he had won as a three-year-old, and Whitney Handicap, four days later, Tom Fool faced just one horse each.
The five-generation outcross, Indian Land, was a four-year-old bay horse, owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt and trained by Bill Winfrey. Indian Land would race for seven years, post 126 starts, and later in 1953, win the Vosburgh Handicap. To prevent Tom Fool from simply galloping around the rain drizzled track in a walkover, Vanderbilt entered his horse as a sporting gesture. Indian Land had no chance of winning, but would pick up $3,000 of second money. Tom Fool, always in command during the contest, did as he pleased, never in any hurry, and arrived home eight lengths to the good of his rival after setting modest fractions of :23 2/5, :46 2/5, 1:11 1/5, and finally the mile in 1:37 1/5. He earned $10,925, to increase his total bankroll to $485,515, and was now among history's top ten earners.
Tom Fool faced Putnam Stable's Combat Boots, who received a twelve pound pull, in the 1 1/4 mile Whitney Handicap. Combat Boots was another trooper, a five-year-old bay horse, and a son of 1940 Two-Year-Old Champion Male Our Boots, out of the unraced mare Miss Dodo, by Man o'War. Combat Boots would finish up his career as a black-type winner, and record 100 starts.
Combat Boots, with Eugene Rodriguez riding, led through the first part of the race, and kept at it with a two length advantage in the backstretch before Atkinson, with no urging, asked the question. Tom Fool promptly answered, going in front with five-sixteenths to go. He continued easily and out-finished his brave foe by three and a half lengths at the wire, in a pedestrian 2:05 2/5, over a fast track, before more than 23,000 in the seats. The $23,000 purse netted the champion $18,250, and lifted him over the half million mark in earnings. Combat Boots didn't walk away empty-handed either, and was paid $5,000 for showing up.
Who's next?...
Tom Fool would now return to Belmont Park and run in the Sysonby Mile, on September 26, before calling it a career in the Pimlico Special on October 24. Alerted, now five-years-old, and whom Tom Fool defeated in last year's Sysonby and Greg Lag Handicap, would reunite with him for both races, and at equal weights. The outstanding filly Grecian Queen, a dark bay/brown daughter of Heliopolis (GB) would also run in the Sysonby. Grecian Queen was no pushover. After her career got off to a slow start at age two, Grecian Queen went on to annex the Schuylerville, Astarita, Demoiselle, and a division of the Marguerite Stakes. As a three-year-old, she had already won the Prioress, Coaching Club American Oaks, Gazelle, New Castle Handicap, and Monmouth Oaks, and was headed for a championship. She had never run outside her division however, and as good as she was, it was hard to imagine a female sophomore taking down the four-year-old titan, Tom Fool, who had now won his last nine starts, and remained perfect during the current campaign.
Is there any competition out there?
Tom Fool was arguably the best racehorse in America; but he wasn't the most famous. That distinction went to an immensely popular three-year-old gray colt, who in two years had thus far won seventeen of eighteen starts, with his only loss, by a head, due to a poor trip. Owned by Vanderbilt and residing in Winfrey's barn, he was a winning machine, cutting down rivals with amazing precision.
If there was any horse with the ability to defeat Tom Fool, it was this one...maybe. Everyone was aware of it, and clamored for a meeting between the two stars. A few racetracks were trying to make arrangements for what could become one of the biggest sporting events of the decade, and probably the greatest equine matchup of the century.
To be continued...
Daily Racing Form, Champions: The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of America's Greatest Thoroughbreds, Revised Edition, Champions from 1893-2004 (New York: Daily Racing Form Press, 2005), p. 173.
James Roach, "No 11 For 1-10 Shot; Unbeaten Native Dancer Takes $123,750 Wood in Romp at Jamaica," The New York Times, April 26, 1953, p. 1.
Triangle Publications, Inc. (Daily Racing Form), "Jamaica Racing Chart, 'Fifth Race,'" The New York Times, April 26, 1953.
Daily Racing Form, Champions, pp. 170-172.
"Tea-Maker," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/tea-maker
"Only One," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/only+one
Daily Racing Form, The American Racing Manual 1992, (Hightstown, N.J.: Daily Racing Form, Inc., 1992), p. 760.
Joseph C. Nichols, "Tom Fool Beats Tea-Maker in First Running of Palmer Handicap; Greentree's Colt Is First In Sprint," The New York Times, May 20, 1953, p. 36, col. 1.
Peter Brandwein, "Tom Fool Choice In Metropolitan," The New York Times, May 23, 1953.
"Royal Vale," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/royal+vale
Joseph C. Nichols, "Greentree Racer, 1-2, Beats Royal Vale in Metropolitan," The New York Times, May 24, 1953, p. 1, p.4, col. 5.
Triangle Publications, Inc. (Morning Telegraph), "Belmont Park Chart, 'Sixth Race,'" The New York Times, May 24, 1953, p. 4, col. 3-4.
Daily Racing Form, Champions, p. 157.
A.P., "Tom Fool Like in Belmont Race," The Spokesman-Review, May 30, 1953, p. 9, col. 7, Google news, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Vy9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HOYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4601,6869702&dq=tom+fool&hl=en
"One Hitter," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/one+hitter
James Roach, "Royal Vale Second; Late Rush Just Fails to Overtake Tom Fool in Rich Belmont Race," The New York Times, May 31, 1953, p. 1, col. 1, p. 4, col. 2.
Triangle Publications, Inc., (Morning Telegraph), "Belmont Park Chart, 'Sixth Race,'" The New York Times, May 31, 1953, p. 4, col. 3-4.
Associated Press, "Tom Fool Steals Show In Suburban," The Evening Citizen, June 1, 1953, p. 28, col. 1, Google news, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u9IwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oN0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5797,163741&dq=tom+fool&hl=en
Daily Racing Form, The American Racing Manual 1992, pp. 722-723.
Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc., The Original Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac 2009 (Lexington, KY: Thoroughbred Times Books, 2008), p. 284.
James Roach, "13-20 Shot Excels; Tom Fool Equals Record for 7-Furlong Carter Despite 135 Pounds," The New York Times, June 28, 1953, p. 1, col. 1, p. 4, col. 2.
Triangle Publications, Inc. (Morning Telegraph), "Aqueduct Racing Chart, 'Sixth Race,'" The New York Times, June 28, 1953, p. 4, col. 3-4.
"Tom Fool Wins Carter, Equaling Track Record," Miami Daily News, June 28, 1953, p. 3-D, col. 5, Google news, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0KwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=duoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2964,4991002&dq=tom+fool&hl=en
Daily Racing Form, Champions, p. 142.
Daily Racing Form, American Racing Manual 1992, pp. 705-706.
Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc., The Original Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac 2009, pp. 278-279.
James Roach, "Tom Fool Takes Up 136, Concedes 26 to 34 Pounds in 65th Brooklyn Today; Handicap Ace 1-10 For 1 1/4-Mile Test," The New York Times, July 11, 1953, p. 16, col. 1.
James Roach, "1-4 Choice in Romp; Tom Fool Easily Defeats Golden Gloves in Handicap at Aqueduct," The New York Times, July 12, 1953, p. 1, col. 1, p. 5, col. 5.
Triangle Publications, Inc. (Morning Telegraph), "Aqueduct Racing Chart, 'Sixth Race,'" The New York Times, July 12, 1953, p. 5, col. 3-4.
John Chandler, "Great Tom Fool Wins Brooklyn at Easy Lope," The Spokesman-Review, July 12, 1953, p. 3, col. 2. Google news,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WTFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4300,4221621&dq=tom+fool&hl=en
Daily Racing Form, Champions, p. 208.
Richard Stone Reeves; Edward L. Bowen, Belmont Park: A Century of Champions, (Lexington, KY: Eclipse Press, 2005), p. 55.
"Fit to Fight," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/fit+to+fight
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"Indian Land," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/indian+land
http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=227093®istry=T&horse_name=Indian Land&dam_name=Indian Song&foaling_year=1949&nicking_stats_indicator=Y
Daily Racing Form, The American Racing Manual 1992, p. 1048.
James Roach, "Tom Fool Is Among Four Winners for Atkinson; Greentree Racer Beats Indian Land," The New York Times, August 5, 1953.
Associated Press, "Tom Fool Has An Easy Time Grabbing Off Another Purse," The Evening Citizen, August 5, 1953, p. 25, col. 3, Google news, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kIwwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Wt8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5415,842722&dq=tom+fool&hl=en
"Combat Boots," Pedigree Online Thoroughbred Database, http://www.pedigreequery.com/combat+boots
"Combat Boots," equineline.com, http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=96839®istry=T&horse_name=Combat Boots&dam_name=Miss Dodo&foaling_year=1948&nicking_stats_indicator=Y
Daily Racing Form, Champions, p. 82.
James Roach, "Champion In Romp; Tom Fool Beats Combat Boots at Saratoga in Two-Horse Whitney," The New York Times, August 9, 1953, p. 1, p. 4, col. 2.
Triangle Publications, Inc. (Morning Telegraph), "Saratoga Racing Chart, 'Seventh Race,'" The New York Times, August 9, 1953, p. 4, col. 3-4.
Associated Press, "Tom Fool Wins Eighth In Row," Miami Daily News, August 9, 1953, p. 1-D, col. 4, Google news, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=57UyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=peoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4010,3747430&dq=tom+fool&hl=en
Daily Racing Form, Champions, p. 148.
Copyright 2013 by John Califano
