Tom Seaver the horse is a winner in racing debut at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Tom Seaver made his racing debut a winning one at Santa Anita on Sunday.

The 2-year-old gray colt named for the late Hall of Fame pitcher won the $61,000 first race by three-quarters of a length after rallying on the outside down the stretch.

Ridden by Antonio Fresu, Tom Seaver ran six furlongs on the turf in 1:10.58. Trained by Phil D’Amato, he paid $5.40 to win as the 8-5 wagering favorite in the eight-horse field.

Owner-breeder Nick Alexander is known for naming his horses after people who have overcome long odds or persevered. He’s also a baseball fan and one of his stakes-winning horses was named Pee Wee Reese after the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop.

The equine Tom Seaver did better in his debut than his namesake. The pitcher made his major league debut for the New York Mets in April 1967 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets won the game 3-2, but Seaver was not the winning pitcher.

Seaver went on to become one of two pitchers with over 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00. He died in 2020 at age 75.

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