July 3, 1977. A crowd of greater than 68,000 packed the Hollywood Park grandstand for an occasion not seen in additional than 1 / 4 of a century. For the primary time since Quotation grew to become Thoroughbred racing’s first millionaire after capturing the 1951 Hollywood Gold Cup, the Observe of the Lakes and Flowers hosted a Triple Crown winner in Seattle Slew.
Recent off his dominating efficiency within the Belmont Stakes on June 11, the undefeated champion rolled into Hollywood Park as he sought to increase his document to 10 consecutive victories. However on that summer season afternoon, a darkish bay colt named J.O. Tobin would give Hollywood Park essentially the most surprising second in its storied historical past.
Taking the lead early, J.O. Tobin by no means let anybody get forward of him as he and jockey Invoice Shoemaker romped dwelling by eight lengths in 1:58.60, narrowly lacking each the monitor and world document time for 1 1/4 miles. Nevertheless, the foremost story was the truth that J.O. Tobin had simply handed Seattle Slew his first defeat. Because of this, the By no means Bend colt instantly ensured his place within the annals of Thoroughbred racing.
However the second turned out to be a double-edged sword, for J.O Tobin went on to be primarily remembered for that one race when he really crafted a profession as an achieved racehorse.
To start out with, J.O. Tobin was fairly adept on the turf. The truth is, his complete 2-year-old season consisted of solely grass racing. Spending his 1976 marketing campaign in Europe whereas educated by Noel Murless, J.O. Tobin received his first three begins in England, all of which have been sprints. Furthermore, he took a pair of Group 2 stakes whereas competing at each Goodwood and Doncaster Racecourse. A cease at Longchamp in France got here subsequent, and that allowed him to go a few mile in a Group 1 race. The result was a third-place end, however it confirmed the truth that J.O. Tobin was elegant and constant.
Given how his juvenile marketing campaign went, the 1977 racing yr ended up being an ironic one for J.O. Tobin. Now based mostly in Southern California and educated by John H. Adams, the colt had restricted publicity to each sprinting and turf racing in his new environment. Relatively, he grew to become effectively acquainted with routing and operating on grime. However these adjustments didn’t faze J.O. Tobin, for he introduced that class and consistency he displayed in Europe to North America.
In six begins as a 3-year-old, J.O. Tobin collected three wins. All of them got here at Hollywood Park, and he added a second-place effort at Santa Anita Park. He received going a mile on turf, 1 1/8 miles on turf, and 1 1/4 miles on grime. Outdoors of his off the board finishes within the Preakness, during which he had a foul begin, and the Woodward Handicap, J. O. Tobin delivered a marketing campaign that allowed him to show his versatility as a Thoroughbred. It additionally set him up for what was to come back as an older racehorse.
Whereas 1976 highlighted his turf and sprinting prowess and 1977 gave him the chance to indicate extra of what he was able to on the monitor, J.O. Tobin put collectively all of his strengths for a superb 1978 season underneath new coach Lazaro Barrera. As soon as once more, the all-around expertise was in plain sight:
- Third or higher in eight of 11 begins
- Gained at three completely different racetracks: Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Belmont Park
- Six victories, all in stakes
- Three wins sprinting (all at seven furlongs) and three victories routing (two at 1 1/16 miles, one at 1 1/8 miles).
- Conquered a sloppy floor for the primary time in Santa Anita’s Grade 2 Malibu Stakes on New 12 months’s Day.
- Scored one other turf triumph by profitable Santa Anita’s Grade 2 San Bernardino Handicap in late March.
Clearly, J.O. Tobin had a productive yr after turning 4. However for all he achieved throughout that point, the trio of sprints he collected performed the deepest function of all. Together with the Malibu, J.O. Tobin captured the Grade 2 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park and the Tom Idiot Handicap at Belmont Park. These three races put J.O. Tobin in a tie with Dr. Patches for champion sprinter honors, giving the previous his biggest achievement following his final yr of competitors.
With a document of 12 wins, two seconds, and two thirds in 21 profession begins, J.O. Tobin did effectively for himself dealing with completely different distances and surfaces. However he additionally competed in a time interval that was dominated by two Triple Crown winners. In beating considered one of them, J.O. Tobin escaped obscurity, however that very same second would morph right into a fog that overshadowed the accomplishments of a racehorse that was a real all-around expertise.
