SC Rewind: Picture Parade

This week's Rewind column is the regular monthly version of Picture Parade.  This time Robert Smith has assembled a collection of great old photos of many top horsemen from the earlier days of Canadian harness racing.  While these fellows originated in different areas of Canada, all of them shared something in common.  They decided to participate in racing at U.S. tracks in order to further their careers at a time when that was considered the path to success. 

#1 - This driver of #8 spent many years at various U.S. tracks dating back to very early in his career.  Here he is shown winning a race in 1973 and he was 33 years of age at the time.  Our experts are likely to pick out a couple more as well.

#2 - This photo is by far the oldest in this grouping, going back to the 1930's.   This driver spent most of his career in the U.S. and raced annually on the Grand Circuit with some of the best horses of the day.  If you made it to the front cover of Hoof Beats at any time in history you were doing pretty well.  He had several sons who followed in his footsteps.  Twenty-five cents got you a lot of good reading!  

#3 - This driver left Canada in the 1940's and soon started to enjoy unparalleled success.  He is shown above winning a $50,000 race in 1948 which was quite an accomplishment back then. Can you name him?

#4 - This fellow joined a long line of top horsemen who left their native Province and went on to achieve fame and fortune in the Land of Stars and Stripes. Who is he?

#5 - This very accomplished driver started his career in his native Ontario but early in his 20's he began to spend the majority of his time at U.S. tracks.  He is shown here answering questions at a driver's forum at Roosevelt Raceway 50 years ago. Who is he? 

#6 - These two gents started in Canada but both eventually made their way to the U.S. where they stayed.  I think this casual photo was taken about 50 years ago.  One fellow was from Quebec,  the one on the left from N.B. 

#7 - These two fellows duel it out in a stretch drive I believe at Richelieu Park but they both did a lot of racing on the U.S. side.  The picture is not as clear as some but I'm sure that some of our experts will solve their identity. The driver of #6 was actually from Quebec but I doubt he could speak much French.  The pilot of #5 was an Ontario native who spent a lot of time in Montreal but I doubt that he was even close to being bilingual.  Can you name them both or even one? 

#8 - This driver went to the U.S. very early in his career and made quite a mark to say the least. Name him if you can. 

#9 - This man did a lot of his early racing on the U.S. side and even won a really big race there in the mid 50's.  He eventually came back to Ontario and raced for quite a few years.  This photo was taken at Roosevelt in the 1960s.   

#10 - This driver shouldn't require too many clues.  He was attached to a high class stable for a long time.  Who is that fine looking gentleman on the left presenting an award? Name one or both, take your choice. 

Bonus Photo : Can you correctly identify the young driver pictured above? On this occasion he was being recognized after recording his 1,000th lifetime win in 1985.  Also can you name the presenter who was a track official at this time and also a member of a noted Canadian racing family?

Quote For The Week: The infamous Archie Bunker of TV fame was accused by his wife Edith of having a sibling rivalry with his brother.  He replied by saying "Maybe I did but it was his fault, he sibbled more than I did."  

Blast From The Past

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A Day At The Fair: The above photo was taken in 1913 at the Montgomery County Fair in Dayton, Ohio.  The fair's archives mention harness racing as part of the first fair held in 1860.  There appears to be the odd automobile in the infield but it looks as though most people arrived by horse and buggy or via "Shanks' Pony."   My late mother always said "Shanks' horses." Does anybody remember what that saying meant? (Photo: NCR Archive at Dayton History)