SC Rewind: Years Ago - 1930s

This week's Rewind is the regular monthly edition of Years Ago. This time it's a remembrance of a few happenings, names and faces from the decade of the 1930's. Harness racing, while mainly a seasonal pastime, was very popular across the land despite the tough economic times that prevailed back then.

Here are a few random names, events and depictions of the times of the 1930's.

1935 - Toll Gate Sets New Track Record At Sydney, N.S.

Toll Gate 2:00 3/4, a great Maritime performer and one time world champion, appears trackside with owner and driver Heber Sweeney of Bridgewater, N.S. and his unidentified caretaker. This horse eventually gained Hall of Fame status in 2000 for his many accomplishments on both Canadian and U.S. tracks.

The following is an excerpt from the local history of Bridgewater, N.S. concerning Mr. Sweeney:

"He was an ardent sportsman, racehorse owner, and driver, and was prominent on the Maritime harness racing circuit. For many years, he attended the annual horse sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and he brought more than one hundred race horses to Nova Scotia in the period he was connected with racing. He owned and operated his own race track in Bridgewater for about ten years. His horse “Toll Gate” is said to be buried under the current Bridgewater Shopping Plaza."

Fans in attendance at the Sydney track for the July 1st afternoon of racing saw a long standing track record that had existed for the past six years demolished. The pacing record of 2:12 3/4 set by Lambert Todd in 1929 went by the boards today as the local favourite Toll Gate went around the Sydney oval in 2:11. This horse arrived from Ontario this year and has displayed his speed on numerous occasions for his owner and driver Heber Sweeney of Bridgewater, N.S. Mr. Sweeney was also a winner with his Calumet Bee in three straight heats.

The great Marjorie M. from the stables of Richard Jabalee of North Sydney went down to defeat at the hands of Betty S owned by C.M. Alexander of St Johns. This proved to be a major disappointment to many in attendance.

1936 - Top Drivers Of 1936

In 1936 the racing season was a lot shorter than it was in later years and when you look at the year end statistics it's pretty easy to tell that was true. Listed below were the top five race winning drivers during that year of 1936.

Driver Jimmy Jordan led all drivers in wins with 69 in 1936. Here he is shown in a 1938 photo when he again led in the drivers standings. (Photo courtesy of Lost Trotting Parks)

• Jimmy Jordan a native of Illinois - 69 wins, he raced exclusively in Maine.

• Hugh "Doc" Parshall from Urbana, Ohio - 65 wins, he mainly raced in the midwest U.S. and on the Grand Circuit

• Frank Safford of New Hampshire - 63 wins

• Wendell Wathen of Maine - 51 wins

• Wayne "Curly" Smart of Ohio - 45 wins, mainly in Ohio

The year 1936 was a memorable one for harness racing. Ben White’s face was a fixture on the Roarin’ Grand, but his name didn’t appear in the top 20 race winners. He won just 13 races and his top performer was Rosalind who won seven of eight starts and $42,000 in purse money that season (equal to almost $815,000 today), with a major share from winning the Hambletonian. Another familiar face in those days was Henry Thomas who also won 13 races while handling the racing stock for the Hanover Shoe Farm. Their top colt was Dusty Hanover who won the Fox Stake in 2:04, quite a mile for a two-year-old.

1937 - Dominion Day Races Held At Strathroy

A view of the Strathroy track and overflow crowd on hand for the annual Dominion Day races (Photo courtesy of D B Weldon Library / London Free Press archives)

Text from the Harness Horse:

July 1, 1937 — Beautiful weather, one of the finest half‐mile ovals to be found, several thousand enthusiastic racing fans and well nigh perfect racing by Canada's fastest harness horses just about sums up the Dominion Day racing carnival staged here today. The track record of 2:08 was shattered many times with Grattan Axworthy (Alf Moore) 2:04.4 setting it at 2:05 1/2 in the first heat of the free-for‐all pace for a purse of $1,000, only to lose the next two heats to Tom Grattan (Lew James) in 2:06 1/2 and 2:06 a reduction of the record of the Orcus Grattan gelding by a second and a half. Under the able direction of Mr. Harold Currie, president of the Dominion Harness Horse Association the track has been rebuilt and graded putting it in condition for the fast miles recorded here today.
Other winning drivers on this card included Clint Hodgins, Wm. Herbert, Morrie McDonald, Gid Litt, and Cecil Champion.

FREE‐FOR‐ALL PACE — PURSE $1,000. Three Heats

Tom Grattan, br g, by Orcus Grattan (Lew James) 2-1-1
Grattan Axworthy, br g, by Amun Ra (Alfred Moore) 1-2-2
Calumet Calculation, b h, by Belwin (Morris McDonald) 4-6-3
Dillinger Grattan, b g, by Orcus Grattan (Lindley Fraser) 7-3-5
Trixie G (Wm. Herbert), 5‐5‐4
Miss Belwin's Boy (Clint Hodgins), 6-4-6
Lastic Patch (Chambers), 3‐dr

Times: 2:05 1/2; 2:06 1/2; 2:06.0

1938 - Sir Esme Wins Canadian Pacing Derby At New Hamburg

Aug. 13, 1938 - A huge crowd was on hand at New Hamburg's Fountain Park to witness the third annual Canadian Pacing Derby. In just three short years this race has become one of the most popular harness racing events in the Province and for that matter in all of Canada. Organized by local insurance salesman and now race promoter Earl "Katzy" Katzenmier who heads up the local Turf Club, it attracts some of the biggest crowds to ever attend such an event. The purse has been increased from the original and has now reached $1,500.

This year's winner was the standout pacer Sir Esme, a U.S. bred gelding brought to Canada by Norwich sportsman Dr. W. N. Meldrum. Dr. Meldrum had carefully selected several horses for his own breeding establishment which was rapidly becoming more successful with each passing year. The Doctor had already imported several well bred mares and had plans to breed many of them to his stable star Dillon Mc who finished second in this year's Derby.

Owner Dr. W.N. Meldrum appears in the New Hamburg winner's circle following a victory in the 1938 Canadian Pacing Derby by his horse Sir Esme. He is joined by driver Harry Fields (Photo courtesy of Leon Siple / Kitchener Record photo)

1938 - Lexington Track Records 1938 As "Vintage Year"

Each year the annual fall meeting at the Red Mile in Lexington invariably established some new world records or at least challenged one or more existing ones. In 1938 which was termed a "Vintage Year", there were no less than four new world records established. As history would eventually record it, a couple of them remained in existence for many years, just as the previous marks had done.

On one of the cards, Billy Direct, a free legged pacer then four years old, paced a mile in 1:55 flat to erase the long standing official record of 1:55 1/4 set by Dan Patch way back in 1905. The record was set in a time trial that came about in a very strange way. That afternoon the Free For All Pace with a purse of $1,000 attracted a field of just four starters. As the race started confusion between the starter and two of the drivers resulted in Billy Direct's driver Vic Fleming and one of the other horses pulling up. The other two went on and the race was declared official with the two non-starters shown as "Distanced".

Vic Fleming asked the judges if he could be allowed to start his still "fresh" horse against the clock. His request was granted and two thoroughbred prompters accompanied him in the trial which resulted in a new world record.

Free-legged pacer Billy Direct and trainer-driver Vic Fleming

Quote For The Week: "It has been said that God made the world round so we could never see too far down the road." - Isak Dinesen, Danish author

Old Vintage Pictures

This week's "Who Is It?" pictures have a bit of a story behind them. Nearly a year ago a gentleman from Ohio contacted me with a little story about two pictures he had found among his 80+ year old grandmother's belongings. It seems that the family did not know exactly why she had these great photos, nor anything else about them. She had apparently been a fan of riding horses and harness racing while growing up in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. I would like to thank Mr. Tim Edwards for his thoughtfulness. Both were nicely framed and in excellent condition and I'm happy to have copies of them in my collection.

Who Is It?

Can you identify the driver in this old photograph?

Who Else Is It?

Can you also identify the driver in this old photograph? No clues offered for either one except to remember what race is being contested this weekend. These two fellows have both "been there."

Bonus Photograph

If you can name the driver then you are all set. Not the greatest quality picture ever but I'll bet our "experts" can figure it out.