The latest edition of Rewind is the regular monthly feature 'Years Ago' and this time it's all about names, faces and happenings from the decade of the 1940's.  The first half of the decade was adversely affected by WWII while the latter part was a time of rapid growth and change for the better. Also included today is a reference to Remembrance Day which occurs during the upcoming week.  

1940 - Batavia Downs Opens For Night Racing 

Sept.  20, 1940 marked the opening night for the second racing spot to feature harness racing under the lights.  Just a few months previous to this Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island, N.Y. became the first track to offer night time racing.  While it became a success eventually the early progress was slow.  

Dating back to its opening, Batavia Downs was an attractive place for Canadian horsepeople to race.  On opening night the first three races went to Canadian-owned horses and when the eight-race program was complete,  no less than five winning horses were from this side of the border.  The 30-night meeting paid out some $45,000 in purses and a goodly portion of it came back to Canada.  One-heat racing with a minimum purse of $250 was quite enticing for sure. 

In the opening race Rip Harvester from the Morgandale Stable of Niagara Falls was the winner for driver "Orangeville Bill" Harvey in 2:14 1/2.  Laurel Watts,  property of Dr. Chas. Fowler of Kingston took the second and the third went to Lea McElwyn owned by James S. Gordon of Hamilton.  Mr. Gordon's pacer Saint Peter also won the fifth race on opening night.   Clarence Hanover, the property of A. Chevalier of St. Hyacinthe, P.Q., was the fifth horse from the Dominion to score a victory.  Canadian horses continued to race very prominently during the more than four weeks following the opening.  

1944 - Kealey Connecting

The following item appeared in a 1945 report carried in the Harness Horse magazine covering highlights from the 1944 racing  season.  Jim Kealey was one of the best known horsemen racing out of Western Canada during that time period.  It is interesting to read that the horses were being readied for the coming season on the river ice.  Hall of Fame and all-around great horseman Jack Kopas started his career with the Kealey stable. In 2002 Mr. Kealey was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. 

The Kealey Stable Winners

An interesting Canadian stable is that of J. W. Kealey of Lumsden, Sask., which won forty-eight heats in 152 starts in 1944. The members of the stable which include Battle Todd p, 2:07 1/2 by Axworthy Todd and Battle Direct p, 2:01 by Direct Kinney, are reported coming back to their 1944 form nicely after getting much of their condition work on the river ice nearby.

Battle Direct, p, 2:01 by Direct Kinney is shown with trainer and driver Jim Kealey (Harness Horse photo) 

1945 - Free For All at Sydney Draws Top Horses 

Oct. 1945 - The first season at the newly opened Cape Breton Sports Centre at Sydney, N.S. closed out with a fine card of racing on a pleasant fall afternoon.  Topping off the day's activities was the Free For All event which drew some of the finest horses and drivers in the region.  The Sydney track played host to several days of racing and all were well attended by fans in the area. The local horsemen responded with some thrilling performances. 

A portion of the Free For All at Sydney is shown as the field approaches the half-mile marker.  Leading the way is Mart Harkaway 2:04 1/4 and driver George Lewis, followed by Tip Abbe 2:05 1/2  with Joe O'Brien,  Walnut Abbe 2:06 driven by Worrel Lewis and Watchim 2:06 3/4 with Billy Hood at the helm.  The others are not identified.  The lifetime records shown next to the horses identified indicate that some very classy performers were racing in the area at that time. (Photo courtesy of Bill Lewis, a racing pioneer at the Sydney track) 

Above is a view of the Sydney Track taken a few years after it opened in 1945. A view of the huge crowd and full parking lot was an indication of the popularity of this location. (Photo courtesy of Paul MacDougall)

1948 - After The Races

With the advent of night racing and horsemen being stabled at the same location for lengthy stays came social gatherings provided by the track owners.  Often at the close of a meeting management would stage a get together for track personnel, drivers and owners. Leading drivers and owners were recognized and it became a time to dine and share a few beverages together.

Seated from left to right at the party held for owners and trainers at Buffalo Raceway are Roscoe C. Holmes, New York State Harness Racing Commissioner; Floyd Milton, second leading driver, Guy S. Mordan, owner of the largest money winning stable; Perry Snedeker, driver; Lorne Tolhurst, trainer and driver for Guy S. Mordan's stable and third

leading driver; Levi Harner (far right)  leading driver at the Raceway. James J. Dunnigan, president, looks on (standing behind wearing light suit) (Harness Horse photo)

1949 - Texas Hanover Wins Quebec Pacing Derby in 2:07 

August 21,  1949 - Texas Hanover was the winner of the Trois Rivieres Pacing Derby at the Trois Rivieres Track on this date.  The U.S.-bred horse, who was brought to Quebec by his owner, was the victor in the afternoon's featured Derby which carried a purse of $2,000.  Pictured in the winner's circle are Messrs. Francois Hetu and Roland Cote representing the Hiram Walker Distilling Co., sponsors of the race.  Next was Alderman Charlie Rocheleau, Exhibition Assoc. president Geo Bolduc,  owner Lucien Dugre,  and driver Paul Emile Larente.  On the far right is a very young Jimmy Larente son of the driver who went on to be a great horseman and I believe is still with us (Photo courtesy of The Harness Horse magazine) 

Quote For The Week: "Tell your horse I said HAY" - Spotted on a rear window sticker recently. 

Who Is It?

The old saying "A penny for your thoughts" might be replaced here by "A dollar for your every win."  Ernest B. Morris of Saratoga Downs on the left presents a cheque to this gentleman on the occasion of his 1,000th win.   Who was the lucky (and now richer) driver?

Who Else Is It? 

Can you identify these three gentlemen? At the time this photo was taken fans were able to visit with drivers and ask questions before the races started at Ontario Jockey Club tracks  (Photo courtesy of Wm. Galvin archives) 

REMEMBRANCE DAY - NOVEMBER 11  "Lest We Forget" 

Remembrance day is upcoming and observed on November 11 each year.  It is a time on the annual calendar when we pause and offer our thanks to the many people who have made such huge sacrifices in the past to preserve our democracy and way of life. This gratitude also includes our present day armed forces who stand guard.   

“Wait for Me, Daddy” is an iconic photo taken by photographer Claude P. Dettloff on October 1, 1940, of The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own Rifles) marching down Eighth Street at the Columbia Street intersection in New Westminster, Canada.

Pictured are five-year-old Warren “Whitey” Bernard and his parents Bernice and Jack Bernard, as the family was about to be separated by the war. The picture received extensive exposure and was used in war-bond drives.

As the troops marched to a waiting train to take them to their next destination, photographer Claude P. Dettloff of The Province newspaper positioned himself to photograph the whole column marching down the hill. As he was getting ready to take the picture, he saw a young boy run out onto the road.

The mother’s outstretched hand and the swirl of her coat, the boy’s shock of white hair and his own reaching hand, the father’s turning smile and the downward thrust of his own outreaching hand — he has shifted his rifle to his other hand to hold his son’s for a moment — the long line of marching men in the background, all this makes an unforgettable image, a masterpiece of unplanned composition, a heart-grabbing moment frozen for all time. The picture Dettloff captured was picked up all over the world, getting exposure in Life magazine;  it hung in every school in British Columbia during the war. Text from "The Guardian" - Abridged version.