Tom Smith to Hall Posthumously

In life, Tom Smith never asked for plaudits . His life's work didn't receive recognition until nearly half a century after his death.

Smith was a genuine horse whisperer who believed in the potential of every individual. He trained a lazy, ill-tempered son of Man o' War named Seabiscuit to national and world renown. Seabiscuit was voted Horse of the Year in 1938 after beating Triple Crown champion War Admiral in the Pimlico Special, a match race held November 1, 1938.

What happened to Smith after Seabiscuit's retirement in 1940?

Maine Chance Stable

Smith moved on to train elsewhere after an illness in 1943. He developed winners for the Maine Chance Stable in 1945. Eighteen of his twenty-four runners there were two-year-olds. His charges totaled earnings of $589,170 for Maine Chance Stable in 1945. Smith trained multiple stakes winners Lord Boswell, Colony Bay, War Date, and War Jeep. The previous year, 1944, he guided older thoroughbreds Beaugay, Star Pilot, Knockdown, and They Say to a total of $264,798 in earnings.

Ephedrine Episode

Smith enjoyed tremedous success at that time, but the ghost of the emptiness of the depression years returned in November, 1945, to haunt him. Smith's career was threatened when he suffered a decision against him in a horse doping allegation. While he strongly denied any wrong-doing and the charge that he had administered the stimulant ephedrine to a three-year-old claimer named Magnific Duel, he was suspended for one year.

Although his training career to that point had proven illustrious, with never a reason to suspect any cheating on his part, and despite his speaking out in strong denials, stating he would never do anything to tarnish the sport of thoroughbred racing, the charges held up. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Colorado ranch hand turned magical trainer.

Jet Pilot Wins Derby

The incident hung over him heavily until he returned to Maine Chance training and triump, getting Jet Pilot to the 1947 Kentucky Derby winner's circle. A year earlier, the Maine Chance Stable had loss twenty-two of its two-year-olds in a racetrack barn fire. Jet Pilot had been shipped elsewhere and was already out of harm's way during the tragic fire.

Career Winds Down

Changing racing stables after 1947, Smith recorded several multiple stakes winners for Mrs. Ada Rice and Danada Farms. He handled Model Cadet and Admiral Lea. Smith returned to Maine Chance Stable for two brief stints, one in 1949, and again in 1954, before officially retiring.

Smith died just three years later on January 23, 1957, at the age of 78, in Glendale, California.

Horse Whisperer to the End

Silent Tom never claimed fame, never became over zealous about his successes. The work was his reward. He did what he loved, and in his training endeavors, he remained true to his belief that horses mostly stay the same throughout their lives, that they only change as a result of how people treat them.

That credo received unique testimony through the emergence of Seabiscuit from down and out claimer to champion as Smith worked his whispering magic and attained his loftiest training achievement with the little, big-hearted bay thoroughbred who became a national icon. The enduring value of Smith's success with Seabiscuit was quite possibly the deciding factor in the vote to give the trainer Hall of Fame status.

Inducted into Hall

Tom Smith was inducted into the (state of) Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003, after Seabiscuit's legendary career was enlightened by Laura Hillenbrand's exhilerating book (released in 2001) that zoomed to best-seller lists. Two years later, Chris Cooper gave an earthy and fascinating portrayal of Smith in the movie, Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

And Silent Tom finally got the recognition he did so richly deserve.

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