Thomas R. McCarthy

Last updated
Tom McCarthy
Occupation Educator, Racehorse trainer
Born(1933-11-30)November 30, 1933
New London, Connecticut
DiedJuly 21, 2016(2016-07-21) (aged 82)
Louisville, Kentucky
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery,
Louisville, Kentucky
Career wins29
Major racing wins
Sam F. Davis Stakes (2009)
Blue Grass Stakes (2009)
Turf Classic Stakes (2010)
Racing awards
Norwich Native Son Award 2010
Significant horses
General Quarters, Brink of War, Breaking Free

Thomas Rutherford McCarthy (November 30, 1933 – July 21, 2016) was an American thoroughbred racehorse owner and trainer from Louisville, Kentucky, best known for the 2009 Blue Grass Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby runner, General Quarters. From a racing family, his grandfather was a jockey in Ireland and both his father and uncle trained horses at racetracks in New England.

McCarthy had been a racehorse owner and sometimes trainer since 1960 and was unique in the racing industry in that he did all the work of maintaining and conditioning his horses. On May 30, 2008, McCarthy claimed General Quarters for $20,000 out of a maiden race at Churchill Downs. He would later turn down million dollar offers for the horse, telling the TVG Network interviewer "you don't sell a dream." [1] [2] [3]

He graduated from Union College, Barbourville KY and from the University of Louisville. Upon receiving a degree in biology, he served in the U.S. Army. He then spent 34 years in the Jefferson County School Public System in Louisville as a science teacher, counselor and principal at Seneca High School, Durrett and Valley High Schools. Upon retirement, he returned to training thoroughbred horses; he worked as a trainer until May, 2016. [4] [1]

His high school was Norwich (CT) Free Academy, class of 1952. He later received the Norwich Native Son Award in 2010. [5]

McCarthy died on July 21, 2016, in Louisville, Kentucky, due to melanoma. [1] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churchill Downs</span> Thoroughbred racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first Kentucky Derby, a Thoroughbred sweepstakes and part of today's horse racing Triple Crown, and the first Kentucky Oaks were held in the same year. Churchill Downs has also hosted the renowned Breeders' Cup on nine occasions, most recently on November 2 and 3, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aristides (horse)</span> American thoroughbred racehorse

Aristides (1872–1893) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the first Kentucky Derby in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Thoroughbred Racing Association</span> Horse racing organization

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is a broad-based coalition of American horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, and Rye Brook, New York.

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 subsidiary companies and by supporting numerous industry initiatives.

Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, just south of Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kentucky and Indiana, which would put it within Indiana, the border is based on the course of the river at the time Kentucky became a state in 1792.

Robert B. "Bob" Lewis was an American businessman who owned a number of champion Thoroughbred racehorses during the 1990s and 2000s.

Carl A. Nafzger is an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Before he was involved in horseracing he was a championship rodeo bull rider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward D. Brown</span>

Edward Dudley Brown was an American who, although born as a slave, rose to become a Belmont Stakes-winning jockey, a Kentucky Derby-winning horse trainer, and an owner of several of the top racehorses during the last decade of the 19th century, earning him induction into the United States Racing Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Borel</span> American jockey

Calvin H. Borel is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2009 Kentucky Derby and the 2010 Kentucky Derby. His 2009 Derby win with Mine That Bird was the third biggest upset in Derby history,, and Borel's winning margin of 6+34 lengths was the greatest in Derby history since Assault won by 8 lengths in 1946. On May 1, 2009, Borel won the Kentucky Oaks aboard Rachel Alexandra, only the second time since 1993 that a jockey has won the Oaks-Derby combo, and just the seventh time overall a jockey has accomplished this feat in the same year. On May 16, 2009, Borel won the 2009 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico with thoroughbred filly Rachel Alexandra. In doing so, Borel became the first jockey to win the first two jewels of the Triple Crown on different mounts. Borel's nickname is "Bo'rail'" due to his penchant for riding close to the rail to save ground.

John Paul Reddam is a Canadian businessman, Thoroughbred racehorse owner and a former professor of philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curlin</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Curlin is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the American Horse of the Year in both 2007 and 2008. He retired in 2008 as the highest North American money earner with over US$10.5 million accumulated. His major racing wins included the 2007 Preakness Stakes, 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic, and 2008 Dubai World Cup. In August 2008, Timeform assigned a 134 rating for Curlin, calling him the best horse in the world on dirt. Curlin was elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2014, his first year of eligibility.

Thomas "Tom" Albertrani is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He began his career as a jockey then spent a number of years as an assistant to trainer Bill Mott. In 1995 Albertrani was hired as an assistant to head trainer Saeed bin Suroor at the prominent international Godolphin Racing stable based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. After working for Godolphin and the Maktoum family's related Darley Racing operations in Dubai, Australia, Japan and at various race tracks throughout Europe, in 2005 Albertrani returned to the New York City area and in addition to conditioning horses for Darley, he opened a public stable to take on horses from various owners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Romans</span> American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer (born 1966)

Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, best known for winning the 2011 Preakness Stakes with Shackleford and the Breeders' Cup Turf with Little Mike. He also upset American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers Stakes with Keen Ice. He won the 2012 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eight Belles</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Eight Belles was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia.

Sandra Kaye Bell was one of the first female jockeys in the history of American thoroughbred racing. She rode her first race at Churchill Downs on November 16, 1971, and raced at major race tracks across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Kentucky Derby</span> 135th running of the Kentucky Derby

The 2009 Kentucky Derby was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The value of the race was $2,177,000 in stakes. The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. The race took place on May 2, 2009, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. The Atlanta-based Southern Tourism Society named the Kentucky Derby Festival, which was April 11 to May 1, as one of the top tourist attractions in the Southeast for the first half of 2009. The post time was 6:24 p.m. EDT. The official attendance at Churchill Downs was 153,563.

General Quarters is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a contender for the 2009 U.S. Triple Crown. He was sired by Sky Mesa, winner of the 2002 Grade I Hopeful Stakes, a son of the 1997 Blue Grass Stakes winner, Pulpit. His dam is Ecology, a daughter of the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Unbridled's Song.

MacKenzie "Mack" Todd Miller was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner/breeder. During his forty-six-year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award champions.

Clyde Van Dusen (1926–1948) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1929 Kentucky Derby.

Bennie L. "Chip" Woolley Jr. is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer best known for conditioning the 2009 winner of the Kentucky Derby. One of the five children of Ann and Bennie Woolley Sr., he grew up in Dalhart, Texas, where his parents lived until 2019, when his father died and his mother moved to Amarillo, Texas. After graduating high school he studied for two years at Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas. At age twenty he moved back to New Mexico to pursue a career in the horse racing industry.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Staff (2016-07-21). "Thomas McCarthy, Owner-Trainer Of General Quarters, Dies". www.paulickreport.com. Horse Racing News | Paulick Report. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  2. "Thomas McCarthy at the NTRA". NTRA. 2010-01-04. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  3. "Feel-good story of Tom McCarthy, General Quarters, rides into Kentucky Derby". New York Daily News. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  4. "Thomas McCarthy Obituary (2016) - Louisville, KY - Courier-Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  5. Bessette, Claire. "Horse owner, trainer wins Norwich Native Son Award". www.theday.com. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  6. Lerner, Danielle (July 21, 2016). "Horse trainer Thomas McCarthy dies at age 82". www.courier-journal.com. Courier Journal. Retrieved 2016-07-26.