Robert Thomas Smith (May 20, 1878 – January 23, 1957) was an American Thoroughbred

racehorse 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 pr ...

trainer. Born in a log cabin in the backwoods of northwest Georgia, as a young man he trained horses for the United States Cavalry and worked on a cattle ranch. In 1934, he was hired as a trainer by the wealthy businessman

Charles S. Howard Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most s ...

. Known as "Silent Tom" because of his quiet nature, Smith became famous as the trainer of

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...

. In the 1940s, he was hired to train for

Maine Chance Farm Maine Chance Farm was an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable in Lexington, Kentucky owned by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden. Elizabeth Arden raced under the '' nom de course'' "Mr. Nightingale" until 1943 when she adopted the name Maine ...

, owned by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden. Twice he was the U.S. Champion Trainer by earnings: first in 1940, and again in 1945. On November 8, 1945, Smith was suspended from racing for a year by The Jockey Club after being found responsible for administering the stimulant ephedrine via an atomizer to one of his horses. The drug was given to the horse by the stable foreman without Smith's specific authorization, but under New York racing rules he was held responsible as the horse's trainer. In his absence,

Roy Waldron Roy J. Waldron (April 3, 1894 - May 15, 1963) was a batboy for the History of the St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Browns before he turned to Horse trainer, training Thoroughbred racehorses. He is best known for winning the 1940 Kentucky Derby with Gal ...

trained for a time for Maine Chance Farm, winning the

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 riches ...

with

Star Pilot ''Star Pilot'' ( it, 2+5: Missione Hydra) is a 1966 Italian science-fiction film directed by Pietro Francisci. It stars Leonora Ruffo as Chaena Plot Chaena is the commander of a spaceship from the constellation Hydra, which has crashed on the ...

, before Smith's 36-year-old son,

Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

, took over for the remainder of the suspension. When his suspension was over, Smith returned to Maine Chance Farm, where he trained 1947

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

winner

Jet Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they ar ...

. Smith retired from racing in 1955, having trained 29 graded stakes race winners. He died two years later in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, and was buried there in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Sunrise Slope, Lot 6121, Space 4. In 2000, Smith was elected to the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

and was inducted in 2001. According to author Laura Hillenbrand, Smith's election to the Hall of Fame was delayed because of Smith's allegedly using an illegal stimulant in 1945. His life's story was told by author Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling 2001 book '' Seabiscuit: An American Legend''. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand Smith was played by Academy Award-winning actor

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' American Beauty'' (1999), ''October Sky'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), '' Cap ...

in the 2003 film ''

''.

References

Washington Racing Hall of Fame

* ttp://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/trainer.asp?ID=361 Tom Smith at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame* '' Seabiscuit: An American Legend'' by Laura Hillenbrand

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, R, Thomas 1878 births 1957 deaths American racehorse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)