Persistence pays off for trainer Tomillo

It hasn't really been chicken one day and feathers the next forChicago trainer Tom Tomillo since he got into the thoroughbred horseracing business 17 years ago. A few years ago he was driving someBroken Down Car. Now he's driving a new Cadillac Eldorado.

Tomillo, 43, born on Chicago's West Side, is on a roll atSportsman's Park. "Watch Tomillo," the Broken Down Horseplayers areyelling. It wasn't so long ago that the BDH were writing him off.

Tomillo, once a long shot to win more than a few races eachyear, could wind up as the leading trainer at the Sportsman's meet,which ends May 23. Yes, Tomillo might saddle more winners thanperennial leader Richard Hazelton.

Through yesterday, Tomillo had 21 winners from 86 starters.Hazelton leads with 22 winners from 154 starters.

"Yeah, I'm doing good," Tomillo said. "You've got to have thehorses and the clients. If you have good people claiming them foryou, or sometimes buying some good horses, things can be so nice. Nohorses, no winners."

Tomillo, training 54 horses, has one of the biggest stables atSportsman's. He has clients with fat bankrolls. He rarely followsempty pockets.

Tomillo's clients include John "Chevy" Tufo; Nick Romanoff andhis partner Arthur Weiss, who sell loads of new cars at their hugetent sales; Louie Roussel Jr., owner of the Fair Grounds track inNew Orleans; Hal Snowden Jr., owner of a big Kentucky Farm and aleading horse salesman; George and Sandy Kleeman; Ken Dvorak, andDon and Billie Yoder.

Tomillo's success would seem like fiction. As recently as 1984,he was busted out like a church mouse.

Now Tomillo is living the life of Riley. There was a time whenhe had to pay his own checks in the track dining room, but latelyhe's always being treated by his clients. Tomillo's weight could beclosing in on three and a quarter pounds - if you know what I mean.

Did you know that some horses weigh 800-plus pounds? Now youshould recognize Tomillo when he waddles through the grandstand anddining room.

Tomillo really picked up the bit last year, winning severalraces at Hawthorne and saddling 30 seconds. His clients made thingsrosy by claiming 25 horses.

Tomillo won four races at Sportsman's with the plater Reckon HeWill, who was claimed from Tomillo the other day. No other horse haswon four races at Sportsman's this year.

"The name of the game is claiming," Tomillo said. "I'd claim ahorse from almost anybody. Well, maybe not from a few of my closefriends, but this is a business. I claimed many last year, but nottoo many yet this year."

He claimed Sugar Top, an also-ran mare, yesterday for $8,000.

Tomillo has won few stakes races, but his hot streak evenbrought him a stakes winner last weekend when he won the $50,000 FullPocket Handicap with Roussel's invader, Irish Open. Tomillo isprepping Irish Open for Monday's Bold Favorite Stakes with some hopethat the colt can travel 1 1/8 miles fast enough to win the $300,000Illinois Derby May 23.

"Things may get even better," Tomillo said. "They're going tohave off-track betting here, hopefully starting July 1. The purseswill get bigger because of increased betting. My clients will investmore money because the racing business will be more profitable."

Tomillo admitted his clients aren't making any real money, butthe purses he has been winning lately will keep them out of the red.

"I guess I'm finally on a roll," Tomillo said. "But I did it byplugging away, without giving up when things were pretty bad."

What's Big Tom looking for in the racing business?

"A real good horse," he said. "Isn't everybody?"

Tomillo was hoping Touch of Pleasure would be shipped to himfrom New Orleans to run in tomorrow's $50,000 Glass House Handicap,but the horse must have taken the wrong plane. He didn't show up.

The one-mile Glass House, named for my horse, who was the mostconsistent racer I ever saw, has some strong invaders. But localstars Bundle of Iron and Harham's Sizzler are standouts.

How the people who assign weights at Sportsman's gave Bundle ofIron 122 pounds and Harham's Sizzler 120 as the top-weighted horsesis beyond me. They figure to annihilate their eight opponents,including my Have a Heart. Harham's Sizzler, who got the biggestbreak, won 23 races from 62 starts for earnings of $800,243.

He's an Illinois-bred who has beaten better horses in opencompany than he'll meet tomorrow. I'm quite sure he has beentraining all winter in Florida.

Since he doesn't have to worry about the Glass House the nextday, I tried to get Tomillo interested in the harness race tonight atBalmoral featuring drivers Mike Ditka, George Steinbrenner, WillieGault and Gary Fencik. But Big Tom, as much as he would like to doit for the Better Boys Foundation, begged off, saying: "I don't thinkthat buggy would be able to carry my weight and besides, I don't wantto press my luck."

With the way his luck is going, the rotund conditioner wouldprobably win the race.