Thomas H. Burns (1879 – November 14, 1913) was a Canadian

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

in the sport of

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

who competed successfully in Canada, the United States, and in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. He was two-time North American Champion and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee in 1983 and a 2011 Legends inductee in the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

Career

Tommy Burns won his first race at age 16 at a racetrack in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. His success in Canada led to riding in the United States where he got his first win in 1894 at a track in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

Personal life

Tommy Burns married Roslyn Dorothy McLaughlin, daughter of another U.S. Hall of Fame jockey Jim McLaughlin. Roslyn McLaughlin had previously been married to

Richard Clawson Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

, another outstanding young jockey but he too had died young from

Consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Thomas H. 1879 births 1913 deaths Canadian jockeys American jockeys American Champion jockeys United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Chatham-Kent Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn