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

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 ...

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 Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, as a young man he trained horses for the

United States Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one ...

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 racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most successful Buic ...

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

, owned by

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protec ...

tycoon

Elizabeth Arden Elizabeth Arden (born Florence Nightingale Graham; December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966) was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. By 1929, s ...

. 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 The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

after being found responsible for administering the stimulant

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

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 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 riche ...

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-yea ...

winner Jet Pilot. Smith retired from racing in 1955, having trained 29

graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...

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, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

, 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 horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

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 Laura Hillenbrand (born May 15, 1967) is an American author of books and magazine articles. Her two bestselling nonfiction books, ''Seabiscuit: An American Legend'' (2001) and ''Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redempt ...

's bestselling 2001 book '' Seabiscuit: An American Legend''. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by

Smith was played by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-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), '' C ...

in the 2003 film '' Seabiscuit''.

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

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)