Chain Reaction (foaled 1950 in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

) was a Canadian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who in 1953 won two of the three races that would become part of the Canadian Triple Crown series and who set and equaled two track records.

Background

A son of

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness racing, harness and Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine ...

inductee Chop Chop, Chain Reaction was bred by Gil Darlington at his Trafalgar Farm near

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town and List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipality in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. Generally seen as a commuter suburb of Toronto, it is located on Lake ...

. Purchased by Joseph Tomlinson, he was raced under his wife's name, Elodie Sully Tomlinson. In 1951, the Tomlinsons won the Quebec King's Plate with their

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

Mount Branca. A highly successful businessman, Joseph E. Tomlinson had interests in shipping and was a shareholder in Hollywood's

MGM Studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro ...

. The couple maintained a home in

as well as a mansion in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

known as "High Tor" which they purchased from Sir Oliver Simmonds in 1963.

Racing career

Conditioned for racing by trainer

Richard Townrow Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

, at age three Chain Reaction ran seventh in the 1953

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of for a ma ...

at Old Woodbine in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. For the year, he won several top races in Ontario,

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, including the July 25 Quebec Queen's Plate at Blue Bonnets Raceway in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In the edition that marked the Centennial of the Quebec Queen's Plate, only four horses raced against Chain Reaction. The colt won easily under American jockey Nick Combest. Among his other wins, Chain Reaction captured the

Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; ...

and

Breeders' Stakes The Breeders' Stakes is a stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses foaled in Canada, first run in 1889. Since 1959, it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds. Held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in ...

, which in 1959 became the final two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown. In winning the 1953 Durham Cup Handicap, Chain Reaction set a track record for a mile and a quarter. As a four-year-old, Chain Reaction continued to win some of the top races for older horses in Canada and equaled the Old Woodbine track record for a mile and an eighth in winning the 1954

Dominion Day Handicap The Dominion Day Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in July at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Graded stakes race, Grade III event currently offering a purse of CAD$150,000 +, it is open to horses aged thre ...

References

{{reflist 1950 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada Horse racing track record setters Thoroughbred family 21