Thomas H. Burns

Thomas H. Burns (1879 – November 14, 1913) was a Canadian jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing who competed successfully in Canada, the United States, and in Europe. He was two-time North American Champion and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee in 1983^[1] and a 2011 Legends inductee in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.^[2]

Thomas H. Burns
Occupation	Jockey
Born	1879 Cedar Springs, Ontario, Canada
Died	November 14, 1913 Brooklyn, New York
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn
Major racing wins
Kentucky Oaks (1897) Speed Stakes (1897) Crescent City Stakes (1898) Christmas Handicap (1898) Gaston Hotel Stakes (1898) Municipal Handicap (1898) Omnium Handicap (1898) Tennessee Derby (1898, 1906) Bayshore Stakes (1900) Morris Park Commando Stakes (1900) Grand Union Hotel Stakes (1900, 1901) Manhattan Handicap (1900, 1903) Occidental Handicap (1900) Second Special Stakes (1900) St. Louis Derby (1900) Crotona Handicap (1901, 1905) Dash Stakes (1901, 1904) Eclipse Stakes (1901) First Special Stakes (1901) Great American Stakes (1901) June Stakes (1901) Juvenile Stakes (1901) Long Island Handicap (1901, 1905) Sapphire Stakes (1901, 1904, 1905) Seagate Stakes (1901) Spinaway Stakes (1901) New Rochelle Handicap (1901, 1906) Woodmere Handicap (1901) Albany Handicap (1902) Bouquet Stakes (1902) Carlton Stakes (1902) Double Event Stakes (part 1) (1902) Flight Stakes (1902) Gazelle Stakes (1902) Grand Union Hotel Stakes (1902) Great Filly Stakes (1902) Harlem Stakes (1902, 1903) Huron Handicap (1902) Jamaica Stakes (1902) Mermaid Stakes (1902) Pansy Stakes (1902) Arverne Stakes (1903) Broadway Stakes (1903) Carlton Stakes (1903) Claremont Handicap (1903, 1905) Lissak Handicap (1903) Metropolitan Handicap (1903) Phoenix Handicap (1903) Rockaway Stakes (1903) Russet Stakes (1903) Surf Stakes (1903) Seneca Selling Stakes (1903) Brighton Handicap (1904) Dash Stakes (1904) Flying Handicap (1904) Lynbrook Handicap (1904) Newtown Stakes (1904) Patchogue Stakes (1904) Queens County Handicap (1904) Travers Stakes (1904) Twin City Handicap (1904) Undergraduate Stakes (1904) Waldorf Stakes (1904) Winged Foot Handicap (1904) Brooklyn Handicap (1905) Rosedale Stakes (1905) Saratoga Handicap (1905) Triumph Stakes (1905) Venus Stakes (1905) Washington Nursery Stakes (1905) Willow Handicap (1905) Tennessee Derby (1906) Tennessee Oaks (1906) Benning Handicap (1908)
Racing awards
United States Champion Jockey by wins (1898, 1899)
Honors
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (1983) Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (2011)
Significant horses
Africander, Ben Holladay, Blue Girl, Broomstick, Imp, Gold Heels, Gunfire, Irish Lad, Joe Madden

Career

Tommy Burns won his first race at age 16 at a racetrack in Hamilton, Ontario. His success in Canada led to riding in the United States where he got his first win in 1894 at a track in St. Paul, Minnesota.^[3]

Personal life

Tommy Burns married Roslyn Dorothy McLaughlin, daughter of another U.S. Hall of Fame jockey Jim McLaughlin.^[4] Roslyn McLaughlin had previously been married to Richard Clawson, another outstanding young jockey but he too had died young from Consumption.^[5]

References

1. "Thomas H. Burns". Racingmuseum.org. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
2. "Thomas H. Burns". Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
3. Ottawa Citizen - July 23, 1909 Retrieved August 17, 2018
4. Daily Racing Form September 28, 1906 article titled "Burns is Doing Well in France" Retrieved October 15, 2018
5. "Jockey "Dick" Clawson Dead". New York Times, page 10. 1901-05-31. Retrieved 2019-07-22.