Thinking Cap (1952–1976) was an American

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 who successfully competed in major races from one mile to more than two miles.

Background

Out of the Heliopolis mare Camargo, Thinking Cap was sired by

Rosemont Rosemont may refer to: People Rosemont is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * David A. Rosemont, American television producer * Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009), American poet, artist, historian * Norman Rosemont (1924–2018), ...

who in turn was sired by the 1937

Leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading Father, sire of Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to Stallio ...

, The Porter. Bred and raced by the Christiana Stables of Harry Lunger and his wife Jane du Pont Lunger, Thinking Cap was trained by U. S. Hall of Fame inductee

Henry S. Clark Henry S. Clark Jr. (January 19, 1904 – February 6, 1999) was an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. In 2007, Henry Clark was part of the inaugural class inducted into Delaware Park Racetrack's Wall of Fame. Henry Clark was the grandson of ...

Racing career

In his first year of racing at age two,

Douglas Dodson Douglas Allan Dodson (December 21, 1921 - February, 1982) was a National Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Early life Douglas Dodson was born in Pickardville, Alberta, Canada, the son of James Floyd and Emma Dodson. His fami ...

rode Thinking Cap to his most important win in the 1954 Pimlico Futurity. Run over a muddy track, it would prove to be a surface he would do exceptionally well on throughout his career. Ridden by jockey Paul Bailey, Thinking Cap won two of the top stakes for 3-year-olds over muddy tracks, taking the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds accor ...

in August and the

Lawrence Realization Stakes The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005. History Inaugurated at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track at Grave ...

in October. Racing at age four and five, Thinking Cap continued to show his strength as a distance runner. Again with Paul Bailey aboard, in 1956 he won the mile and one-half

Stymie Handicap The Stymie Stakes is an American race for Thoroughbred horses at Aqueduct Racetrack. Usually raced in late February or early March, it is open to horses age four and older. It is run on dirt over a distance of one mile and offers a purse of $150,00 ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

and the grueling mile and three-quarters

Merchants and Citizens Handicap The Merchants and Citizens Handicap is a discontinued American Thoroughbred horse race which was first run in 1900 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to horses aged three and older, it was contested on dirt. The inaugural ...

. In his last year of racing, Thinking Cap won the 1957 Southampton Handicap at Belmont Park. Ridden by

Eldon Nelson Glen Eldon Nelson (January 28, 1927 - March 16, 2012) was an American jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing who competed primarily at tracks on the East Coast of the United States and who is best known for winning the 1972 Preakness St ...

, the race was contested on a sloppy track over a distance of a mile and one-half.

At stud

Retired to stand at stud for the Lungers, Thinking Cap sired a number of horses that made it into racing from which only his son

Smart ''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingha ...

was able to achieve his sire's level of success. Smart, a 1959 chestnut colt whose

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

was Enchanted Eve, inherited Thinking Cap's endurance with wins in such top level races at a mile and one-quarter or more such as the

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

Gallant Fox Gallant Fox (March 23, 1927 – November 13, 1954) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the second winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, American Triple Crown. In a racing career which la ...

, and

Massachusetts Handicap The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a Flat racing, flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was an Graded stakes r ...

s, the latter he won back-to-back in 1964 and 1965.

References

{{reflist 1952 racehorse births 1976 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred racehorses Racehorses bred in the United States Racehorses trained in the United States American racehorses Thoroughbred family 4-r Du Pont racehorses