Twilight Tear (KY)

Bred and owned by Calumet Farm, Twilight Tear was a bay daughter of Bull Lea out of the Blue Larkspur mare Lady Lark. Named Co-Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Twilight Tear went on to dominate as a sophomore, putting together an 11-race win streak en route to being named Horse of the Year.

Inducted

1963

Foaled

1941

Sire

Bull Lea

Dam

Lady Lark

Damsire

Blue Larkspur

Breeder

Calumet Farm

Owner

Calumet Farm

Trainer

Benjamin A. Jones

Career

1943-1945

Earnings

$202,165

Racing Record

24

Starts

Year	Starts	First	Second	Third	Earnings
Year	Sts	1	2	3	$
1943	6	4	1	1	$34610 $34,610
1944	17	14	1	1	$167555 $167,555
1945	1	0	0	0	$0 $0

Biography

Bred and owned by Calumet Farm, Twilight Tear was a bay daughter of Bull Lea out of the Blue Larkspur mare Lady Lark. Named Co-Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Twilight Tear went on to dominate as a sophomore, putting together an 11-race win streak en route to being named Horse of the Year.

Trained by Hall of Famer Ben Jones, Twilight Tear broke her maiden in her career debut on June 25, 1943, at Washington Park. Stepping up to stakes competition eight days later, she earned a 2½-lenngth victory in the Arlington Lassie, defeating stablemate Miss Keeneland in the richest race of the year for juvenile fillies. Twilight Tear won a pair of allowance races later in the year and split the honor of best juvenile filly with Durazna.

As a 3-year-old in 1944, Twilight Tear won several distaff events, including the Acorn, Coaching Club American Oaks, Pimlico Oaks, and Princess Doreen. She also made her mark against colts, winning the Skokie Handicap at Washington Park and the Arlington Classic. In the Skokie, Twilight Tear defeated Pensive, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, setting a track record of 1:22⅗ for seven furlongs. Later in the year, Twilight Tear defeated Greentree Stable’s two-time handicap champion Devil Diver by six lengths in the Pimlico Special in time that equaled Seabiscuit’s when he beat War Admiral in the same race six years earlier. At the end of the year, Twilight Tear had won 14 of 17 starts and was named Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. She was the first of her gender to be named Horse of the Year since Beldame four decades earlier.

Twilight Tear was kept in training as a 4-year-old, but she bled during a race at Washington Park and was immediately retired to Calumet. As a broodmare, Twilight Tear produced Coiner, winner of 20 races and stakes in Canada through the age of 9; A Gleam, winner of eight stakes and earner of $251,395; and Bardstown, winner of 18 races, including multiple editions of the Widener Handicap, and earner of $628,752.

Twilight Tear died in 1954 at the age of 13.