A tribute to Tom Wolski 'Remembering One of Our Own'
A TRIBUTE TO TOM WOLSKI
‘REMEMBERING ONE OF OUR OWN’
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport
“Tommy Wolski was an unrelenting positive force for horse racing.
He got along with everybody and never had anything negative to say about anyone,”- David Milburn, President, HBPA
The timing of the passing of Tom Wolski on January 20, 2020 never allowed his many friends and fans to properly acknowledge one of the most popular and recognizable personalities known to the horse racing industry.
He was visiting family in Naples, Florida over the Christmas holiday season when he suffered a massive heart attack, never recovering from major bypass surgery and a medically-induced coma. Tommy was cremated and laid to rest with his mother in Florida.
News of his passing rocked racing communities not only in British Columbia but throughout the United States. Wolski finished his career as a jockey with more than 500 wins at various tracks in North America and became a main attraction at Hastings during the 1970s and 1980s.
When he hung up his riding tack, Wolski became a celebrity in Vancouver media circles for more than 30 years as a horse racing columnist in The Province and a radio talk show host on CJOR and weekly half-hour telecast on Shaw and CityTV, both called The Sport of Kings.
Along the way, Wolski made friends at every level of society. To this day, there remains a group of close friends who met for dinner three or four times a year at Wolski’s insistence. That ritual continues in his absence. The latest gathering will be part of Saturday’s tribute designated with Race 4 in his honour.
It's quite a diversified collection of companions: Bruce Allen, legendary entertainment agent; Jim Byrnes, internationally-known rhythm and blues artist; Wally Oppal, former BC Attorney General; Manny Sobral, one-time Canadian Olympic boxer; Tony Tanti, former Vancouver Canucks goal-scoring sniper; Ron and John Teti, iconic restauranteurs and Dr. Sport, a friend who helped mentor his media career.
That group will be joined by guest decorator Paul Chapman, Deputy Editor at Postmedia, who played a major role in the return of the Hastings Racecourse entries to The Province sports pages this year.
Tom Wolski with riding buddies Chad Hoverson (L) and Chris Loseth (R). Photo Ralph Bower.
Wolski was inducted into the BC Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2014. His contribution to the airwaves and in print earned him Sovereign Awards in 1998, 2001 and 2011. He also was named winner of the John Hervey Award in 2004 in recognition of his harness racing coverage.
Wolski, a native of Boston, watched his first race at the age of 10 at Suffolk Downs. Four years later he was a hotwalker, then groom and eventually began galloping horses for trainer O.L. Foster. After leaving home and having dropped out of school, he was literally sleeping in the barns.
Tommy loved to share his story about those early years. “Mr. Foster asked me my shoe size, looked me up and down and said, ‘Yup, I’ll put you to work’ and gave me my first job as a jockey,” Wolski related. “I rode my first race at Lincoln Downs in Rhode Island and lost in a photo finish.”
Sandy Hawley, Canada’s celebrated jockey with 6,450 career wins, said upon hearing of his friend’s death: “Tommy was a great ambassador for our sport. I rode at a number of tracks with him and he was always a fun guy to be around. His energy and charisma were such a big part of his charm.”
Saturday has been billed “Remembering One of Our Own” in honour of Tom Wolski. Cherish the moment.