Twisted Tom impresses again
Twisted Tom keeps on rolling. Bred by Dr. Joan Taylor and Dr. William Wilmot at their Stepwise Farm in Saratoga Springs, the big 3-year-old won his third consecutive race last weekend at Laurel Park in Maryland.
Owned by Cobra Farm and trained by Chad Brown, he won the $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles, sending his career earnings to $209,040 with four wins in six starts.
In his previous outing, Twisted Tom won the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel.
The Private Terms is a “Win and You’re In” event, meaning the winner gets an automatic place in the Preakness Stakes starting gate on May 20 at Pimlico.
Twisted Tom, unfortunately
at this writing, is not nominated to the Triple Crown series and his connections would have to come up with a supplementary fee of $150,000 in order to be eligible.
In any case, it is clear that the son of Creative Cause is developing into a very good sophomore.
Equipped with a powerful galloping style that has a nice cadence, Twisted Tom broke alertly in the Private Terms and was prominent all the way.
In my opinion, his style is suited to the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown contested at 1 ½ miles.
Twisted Tom descends from a marvelous female family.
His mother is Tiffany Twisted, a daughter of the Seattle Slew mare Miss Turlington, who produced multiple graded stakes winner Incurable Optimist for Taylor and Wilmot.
Tiffany Twisted is by Thunder Gulch, winner of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers in 1995 on the way to Eclipse Award honors.
Twisted Tom’s third dam is Class Play, a daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Stage Door Johnny who captured the Coaching Club American Oaks at 1 ½ miles for 3-year-old fillies in 1984.
His fifth dam is Patelin, a lovely and nearly black filly who was bred and raced by George D. Widener.
Patelin won the Schuylerville at Saratoga, the Selima at Laurel, and the Alcibiades at Keeneland in 1970 for Mr. Widener, who died in 1971 after a distinguished career marked by 60 years of breeding stakes winners.
He was a patron of the turf whose champions included Alabama Stakes winners Stefanita and What a Treat, Spinaway Stakes winner Evening Out, and Belmont and Travers winner Jaipur.
Patelin was purchased for $275,000 from his estate in 1972 by Thomas Mellon Evans of Buckland Farm, and she became a foundation mare for his operation.
The Widener estate sale took place over four days in February and March in Kentucky and Florida.
In the subsequent 45 years, Patelin and the mares descended from her have produced generations of top class runners.
The list includes Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Pleasant Stage, Spinaway Stakes winner Seattle Meteor, Vosburgh Stakes winner A Phenomenon, and Remsen Stakes winner Pillaster.
Thanks to Taylor and Wilmot at Stepwise Farm, the influence of George D. Widener and his elegant filly Patelin carries on through Twisted Tom.