November 4, 2023

Tom’s Ready
February 1, 2013 – October 30, 2023

For an all too short three years Old Friends was fortunate to be the home of Tom’s Ready. He died last Monday due to complications from colic surgery, and we miss his kindness and the sweet, expressive ways he convinced us that a carrot is ok but a few more are much nicer.

Bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm LLC, he was a son of More Than Ready our of Goodbye Stranger by Broad Brush. He raced for G M B Racing, trained by Dallas Stewart. At three he won the 2016 Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) (formerly the Riva Ridge S) at Belmont and the Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs—very fittingly, since the Racing-Hall-of-Famer Ack Ack was his great-grandpa. He ran in the 2016 Kentucky Derby and participated in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. At four, Tom won the Leemat Stakes at Presque Isle and the 2017 Bold Ruler Stakes (G3) at Belmont and finished second or third in other graded stakes for $1,036,267 earnings.

He entered stud in 2018 at Spendthrift Farm right around the corner and down the road from Old Friends and sired his best progeny there, Quite Ready, a 2019 gelding out of Vindication’s daughter, Sweet Revenge. Quite Ready is still racing, with wins this year, as are others of his progeny. However, he didn’t attract the book needed for a competitive stallion career at a top Bluegrass farm, and in 2019 he was relocated to Red River Farms in Louisiana. In November 2020 he was pensioned from stud and Gayle Benson of G M B Racing enabled his retirement to Old Friends.

Tom settled into a paddock on the south side of the main farm, the prettiest part of the property where the best grass and most sheltering trees grow. This isn’t on the regular tour route, so not every visitor had the pleasure of meeting him, but his friendliness and handsome looks won the hearts of many who took private tours and all of the volunteers and staff. We only wish we could have known him a whole lot longer.

I’d like to have done a “Remembering” slide show video for him had I managed to pull together enough photos, but Laura did take some beautiful ones of him. For those who weren’t fortunate to meet Tom’s Ready, they give a good idea of his handsomeness and his expressive face.