Turner's Tomy

Tall, broad-shouldered Fred Turner Jr., 62, has made millions out of oil wells, but his true love is a good thoroughbred. Says he: "I like to travel, but any place in the world becomes boring for me after a few days unless I have a purpose, and thoroughbreds are the answer." Last week, at Louisville's Churchill Downs, Turner's purpose paid off as his English-bred colt, Tomy Lee, won the Kentucky Derby and its $119,650 purse.

One of twelve children, Turner grew up on a ranch in Texas, struck oil as a wildcatter nearly 30 years ago, and bought his own ranch near Midland, Texas. He began buying thoroughbreds to improve his cow-pony stock, as an afterthought sent some to California to race. When World War II started, he shipped his racers back to Texas, and turned them loose on the range to breed with his cow ponies. Failing in efforts to buy established horses after the war, he decided to try his luck abroad, began buying Irish and British yearlings.

Acting on Turner's instructions two years ago, Agent Bert Kerr bought a highly regarded yearling named Tuleg for $25,000 at Britain's Newmarket sales. Chiefly to provide a traveling companion for Tuleg, Kerr threw in another $6,720 for Tomy Lee, a blaze-faced bay colt whose ancestry indicated he lacked the stamina to win at distances over a mile.

But as a two-year-old, Tomy Lee outgalloped Tuleg. He won six of eight races, earned $213,460. Turner became ferociously proud of his unheralded colt. When a handicapper weighted Tomy Lee two pounds lighter than Christopher Chenery's First Landing, Owner Turner swore that his horse would "run First Landing down" at the first opportunity.

Over the winter Tomy Lee seemed in bad trouble. He had to be fired twice for leg ailments, was out of action for two months when his forefoot became infected. But by Derljy Day he was plainly fit.

A strong second in the early going, Tomy Lee took the lead in the backstretch but dropped back to second behind Sword Dancer at the mile mark. Admitted Jockey Willie Shoemaker: "I thought we were through. I hollered to Willie Boland (on Sword Dancer), 'I hope you win it.'" But Tomy Lee shrugged off his breeding, roared back in the last dozen strides to win by a nose. He was the first foreign-born horse to win the derby since 1917. His archenemy, First Landing, was a well-beaten third.

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