Tomy Lee
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Tomy Lee (May 7, 1956 – October 29, 1971) was a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
-bred
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 who won the
1959 Kentucky Derby The 1959 Kentucky Derby was the 85th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 2, 1959. Full results * Winning breeder: Captain David H. Wills (United Kingdom, U.K.) References Further reading

* Kentucky Derby races, ...
defeating Sword Dancer, First Landing, Royal Orbit and the filly
Silver Spoon The English language expression silver spoon is synonymous with wealth, especially inherited wealth; someone born into a wealthy family is said to have "been born with a silver spoon in their mouth". As an adjective, "silver spoon" describes s ...
. Tomy Lee became only the second non-American bred horse to ever win the Kentucky Derby and Bertie Kerr became the first non-American agent to buy a winner.


Background

Tomy Lee was a bay horse bred in England by Captain David H. Wills. As a
weanling A weanling is an animal that has just been weaned. The term is usually used to refer to a type of young horse, a foal that has been weaned, usually between six months and a year. Once it is a year old, the horse is referred to as a yearling. The ...
he was purchased by the millionaire oilman and rancher from
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, Fred Turner Jr. and his wife Juliette. In 1956, bloodstock agent Bertie Kerr attended the Newmarket sales, acting on behalf of Turner. Kerr was instructed to buy two horses that Turner had picked out of the catalogue. The Turner's were chiefly interested in a son of
Tulyar Tulyar (1949–1972) was an Irish bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won The Derby, the St Leger Stakes, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Ormonde Stakes and the Eclipse Stakes setting a record for a s ...
that came to be named Tuleg. Since they believed that horses needed company, they also wanted to buy a second horse in order to provide Tuleg with a travelling companion. That second horse was Tomy Lee. Shortly after Tomy Lee won the 1959 Kentucky Derby, Kerr relayed to
Michael O'Hehir Michael James Hehir (also known as Michael O'Hehir and ga, Mícheál Ó hEithir; 2 June 1920 – 24 November 1996) was an Irish hurling, football and horse racing commentator and journalist. Between 1938 and 1985 his enthusiasm and memor ...
the story behind the purchase. O'Hehir then retold the story in the ''
Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceh ...
''. After viewing Turner's first choice for Tuleg's travelling companion, Kerr was less than impressed and cabled him, advising him not to buy this particular foal. Instead Kerr recommended another colt he had seen at the sale. Turner gave Kerr the go ahead "to bid up to $15,000," and Kerr got Tomy Lee for $6,762. Tuleg was purchased for $25,000 but could not race at two because of an injury and at three bowed a tendon.David Needham: ''Ireland's First Real World Cup -The Story of the 1924 Ireland Olympic Football Team'' (2012, The Manuscript Publisher) Tomy Lee's dam Auld Alliance was a daughter of Iona, a half-sister of Epsom Derby winner
Ocean Swell A swell, also sometimes referred to as ground swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series of mechanical waves that propagate along the interface between water and air under the predominating influence of gravity, and thus are ofte ...
.


Racing career

Kerr's recommendation turned out to be a bargain. At two, Tomy Lee stood 16 hands, weighed a bit over a thousand pounds, and was sound. The press called the bay with four white stockings a greyhound, slim and perfectly proportioned. Sent to
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
for his first year on the track, he won his first six races. Then he was sent East to run in two more, both jousts with First Landing, his only losses that year, and in each case he was closing fast. At age three, he won four of seven races including the 7 furlong Forerunner Stakes at
Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...
in which
Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...
rode him to victory in track record time. Still at Keeneland sand ridden by Shoemaker, Tomy Lee then won the important mile and one-eighth
Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...
. At ages two and three, Tomy Lee was runner-up in the voting for U.S. Champion male. Bill Shoemaker, who had ridden Sword Dancer to a win in the
Stepping Stone Purse The Stepping Stone Purse was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the latter part of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it was, along with the Derby Trial Stakes, one of two final prep ...
a week before the Kentucky Derby, had already agreed to ride Tomy Lee in the Derby. Early on, Tomy Lee was involved in a speed duel with Troilus, and won it, so when Sword Dancer made his move under Bill Boland, Shoemaker thought Tomy Lee was spent and Sword Dancer might take the Derby. Seeing Boland come up, he called, "Good luck, I hope you win it." Sword Dancer took over the lead by half a length, but Tomy Lee came on again in mid stretch, behind by only a head. The horses bumped several times. At the wire, Tomy Lee won by a nose. Boland claimed a foul, but the judges disallowed it after deliberating for 17 minutes. First Landing came in third, three and a half lengths behind these two, and Royal Orbit, who went on to win the
Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...
that year, came from last to fourth. Fifth was
Silver Spoon The English language expression silver spoon is synonymous with wealth, especially inherited wealth; someone born into a wealthy family is said to have "been born with a silver spoon in their mouth". As an adjective, "silver spoon" describes s ...
, the first filly to enter the Derby since 1945 and the last until 1980. After his win in the Kentucky Derby, Tomy Lee did not run in the remaining two U.S. Triple Crown races. His trainer, Frank Childs, said he didn't like races too close together, so Tomy Lee returned to California to rest. Later that year, he finished sixth in the Cinema Handicap at
Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...
, a race won by Silver Spoon. Shoemaker could not ride Tomy Lee in this race since he was committed to Sword Dancer in the Belmont Stakes (which they won), so Don Pierce got the mount. Turner felt that Pierce mishandled his colt, who needed "special care" and understanding, something only Shoemaker could give him. In anger, he took his horse out of training for six months. At the end of the year, Johnny Longden rode Tomy Lee to a win in a 6-
furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...
race. Tomy Lee ran twice at four and was unplaced both times. Between 1960 and 1963, he earned just $27,697. He was retired to stud at L.P. Doherty's Stallion Station in
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
but proved to have an odd condition as a stallion. His sperm did not live long enough to impregnate a mare. He was put back into training and won four more races before being returned to stud.


Retirement

Tomy Lee died in 1971. He is buried at Pillar Stud in Lexington, Kentucky.


Pedigree

*Tomy Lee was
inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
3 × 3 to Hyperion, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the third generation of his pedigree. He was also inbred 4 × 4 to Swynford.


References


Sources


1959 Kentucky Derby
{{Kentucky Derby Winners 1956 racehorse births 1971 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Kentucky Derby winners Thoroughbred family 1-n