Thinking Cap (1952-1976) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who successfully competed in major races from one mile to more than two miles.

Background

Out of the Heliopolis mare Camargo, Thinking Cap was sired by

Rosemont Rosemont may refer to: * Rosemont (horse), an American Thoroughbred racehorse * ''Rosemont'', a 2015 film Places In Australia * Rosemont (Woollahra), located in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra and listed on the NSW State Heritage Register In Canada ...

who in turn was sired by the 1937

Leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to stallions which are based in N ...

, The Porter. Bred and raced by the

Christiana Stables Jane du Pont Lunger (June 20, 1914 - September 18, 2001) was an American heiress, philanthropist, and an owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. A sixth-generation member of Delaware's prominent Du Pont family, her father, Philip Francis du Pon ...

of Harry Lunger and his wife Jane du Pont Lunger, Thinking Cap was trained by U. S. Hall of Fame inductee

Henry S. Clark Henry S. Clark Jr. (January 19, 1904 – February 6, 1999) was an American Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellen ...

Racing career

In his first year of racing at age two,

Douglas Dodson Douglas Allan Dodson (December 21, 1921 - February, 1982) was a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Early life Douglas Dodson was born in Pickardville, Alberta, Canada, the son of James Floyd and Emma Dodson. His family moved t ...

rode Thinking Cap to his most important win in the 1954

Pimlico Futurity The Laurel Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late September at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Run over a distance of miles on turf, at one time it was a Grade I stakes race on dirt, and one of the r ...

. Run over a muddy track, it would prove to be a surface he would do exceptionally well on throughout his career. Ridden by jockey Paul Bailey, Thinking Cap won two of the top stakes for 3-year-olds over muddy tracks, taking the Travers Stakes in August and the Lawrence Realization Stakes in October. Racing at age four and five, Thinking Cap continued to show his strength as a distance runner. Again with Paul Bailey aboard, in 1956 he won the mile and one-half

Stymie Handicap The Stymie Stakes is an American race for Thoroughbred horses at Aqueduct Racetrack. Usually raced in late February or early March, it is open to horses age four and older. It is run on dirt over a distance of one mile and offers a purse of $150,00 ...

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and the grueling mile and three-quarters Merchants and Citizens Handicap. In his last year of racing, Thinking Cap won the 1957 Southampton Handicap at Belmont Park. Ridden by Eldon Nelson, the race was contested on a sloppy track over a distance of a mile and one-half.

At stud

Retired to stand at stud for the Lungers, Thinking Cap sired a number of horses that made it into racing from which only his son Smart was able to achieve his sire's level of success. Smart, a 1959 chestnut colt whose dam was Enchanted Eve, inherited Thinking Cap's endurance with wins in such top level races at a mile and one-quarter or more such as the Manhattan, Gallant Fox, and Massachusetts Handicaps, the latter he won back-to-back in 1964 and 1965.

References

{{reflist 1952 racehorse births 1976 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred racehorses Racehorses bred in the United States Racehorses trained in the United States American racehorses Thoroughbred family 4-r Du Pont racehorses