Tim Tam

Tim Tam, (foaled 1955), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) who in 1958 won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but lost at the Belmont Stakes, ending his bid for the coveted Triple Crown of American horse racing.

Tim Tam was a promising two-year-old bay colt from Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He matured slowly and began to fulfill expectations only in his third year. He won the Derby Trial Stakes in Kentucky on a muddy track, which made him an easy choice for his owner and trainer to represent Calumet in the Kentucky Derby when their preferred entrant, Tim Tam’s stablemate Kentucky Pride, became ill.

It rained before race day, making the track heavy. Fourteen horses made up the field, and Tim Tam settled into fifth place until he was ready to challenge the leaders at the top of the stretch. He finally took the lead about 15 yards from the wire and won by half a length.

Eleven horses challenged Tim Tam in the Preakness. He moved effortlessly along the rail in the stretch and won by one and a half lengths. The win convinced doubters that he was the best three-year-old, and he approached the starting gate of the Belmont Stakes as the 3–20 favourite. He had a winning streak of 8 victories, had won 10 times in 13 starts overall, and was considered to have a real shot at being voted the best Thoroughbred of 1958.

There were eight horses in the field at Belmont, including four newcomers. Tim Tam moved behind Cavan in the homestretch and prepared to start his drive. The crowd erupted with an encouraging roar. Tim Tam’s jockey whipped the horse on the right flank, and the colt swerved out, finishing the race in second place, five and a half lengths behind the winner, Cavan. It later was revealed that Tim Tam had shattered a bone in his right fore ankle yet had gamely run the last quarter of a mile on the broken leg. He recovered from his injury and was sound for stud duty. Tim Tam died in 1982 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1985.