This week's Rewind is all about the great horseman of yesteryear, Clinton T. Hodgins, and recaps a number of highlights of his long and storied career in harness racing. This is the first of a two-part offering, with the second to appear in an upcoming Rewind.

Back in 1973, when the then-new and much anticipated Ontario Sires Stakes program was announced, the proverbial ears of all of Ontario's harness racing community were perked up and ready to listen. It was a true "shot in the arm" for virtually every sector of the sport.

Owners, trainers and drivers would all immediately benefit from the races themselves. The breeding farms would soon be seeing increased activity in every aspect of their operations. The infusion of money to be made immediately made it feasible to purchase higher-priced sires and broodmares. Fans of racing were big-time beneficiaries as they got to see the best young pacers and trotters, and often didn't have to travel far to see them.

Clint Hodgins flashes a friendly smile. (Hoof Beats photo)

One veteran horseman apparently soon became quite interested and eager to join in on the action. That man was Clint Hodgins, then a "mature" 67 years of age and long removed from the Ontario racing scene. He soon decided to "head for home."

From decades of experience, he knew all the ins and outs of the business. His long and storied career had prepared him well. Clint had two possibles in his limited stable that were eligible for this new series. He decided to head back for a tour of Ontario, where it all began for him many decades earlier.

His two colts destined for the series were Terry Parker, a three-year-old gelding by Don Parker out of his rather famous broodmare Skippy Day Brook. The second was Pats Bye Bye, a two-year-old sired by Bye Bye Pat and from the mare Patricia Frost. They would both soon prove themselves.

Hodgins wasted little time and, on June 1, 1974, at Garden City, the day the new series began, he was an immediate winner. A portion of a Rewind from a number of years ago describing the history-making event is shown below.

Famed Canadian-born horseman Clint Hodgins was a highly successful participant during the inaugural 1974 season. He is shown here enjoying a jovial moment with OJC President John Mooney following a victory by his outstanding three-year-old pacing gelding Terry Parker. This horse led all competitors in earnings that first year as he banked a phenomenal $77,312, with $63,866 earned in OSS events alone. The groom at the left is Dennis Wicks.

"Veteran Canadian-born horseman Clint Hodgins, who had been racing almost exclusively on the U.S. side for several decades, obviously saw the value in the new O.S.S. program and decided to 'throw his hat in the ring.' Hodgins, who was 67 years of age, showed the younger drivers that he still had not lost his touch as a driver.

Driving Terry Parker, a colt that he owned, bred and trained, Hodgins left smartly and immediately assumed command. Although challenged throughout the mile, he was never headed, leading the entire trip, which stopped the timer in a swift 2:03.1. On hand to preside over the winner's circle festivities was O.J.C. President John Mooney as the participants inked their names in the record books."

Throughout the entire season, he called upon his longtime friend (and his cousin's husband), Harold Wellwood Sr., then 68, to do the driving when he was not able to be back in Ontario. It was a bit like turning the clock back, as these two wily veterans had started their careers at some of the very tracks that were now hosting Sires Stakes events.

At season's end, three-year-old pacer Terry Parker led all categories with winnings of $63,866. His closest competitor among three-year-olds was Paula's Peanut, who earned less than half that amount but still a very respectable $31,652 for his very young owner, Paula Wellwood. This meant that a huge portion of the three-year-old division of the O.S.S. contained a "Wellwood" element.

In the two-year-old pacing division, Pats Bye Bye also led that sector with earnings of $53,767 for owner Hodgins. Once again, the driving duties were shared by the duo of Wellwood and Hodgins, and with the same rate of success. In nine O.S.S. starts, Pats Bye Bye had seven wins and a second.

Pats Bye Bye is shown during the 1974 season with veteran driver Harold Wellwood in the sulky. When owner Clint Hodgins was not driving, he called upon Harold, who filled in admirably.

Clint, on the left, and Joe O'Brien are pictured in this very early photo taken while racing in California.

Clint Enters the U.S. Hall of Fame

In late 1973, just prior to the startup of the OSS in 1974, Clinton Theodore Hodgins became just the 18th entrant into the prestigious U.S. Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame at Goshen, New York. The following is an excerpt from a small-town newspaper near his Canadian birthplace in Clandeboye, Ontario, a small hamlet just north of London.

The following item was copied from the Exeter-Lakeshore Times Advance as it appeared back in December of 1973:

Racing Driver Is Honoured

"Friends of Clint Hodgins, who traveled by bus to attend his induction into the American Harness Racing Association Hall of Fame at Goshen, New York, gathered in the small convention room at a local motor hotel Thursday for an evening of dancing and reminiscing, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Lewis.

Murray Hodgson, convener for the event, and his daughter Jane, on behalf of the Lucan Turf Club, presented Clint with a self-portrait in racing silks done in oils by a Toronto artist.

Replying, Mr. Hodgins said he valued what his friends had done in traveling to Goshen and in holding the Clint Hodgins Day at the Lucan Trades Fair, and now holding this reunion, more than his actual induction into the Hall of Fame.

He said there had been more friends attending his induction than for any other in the history of the Hall. Pictures taken at Goshen and at the Fair, provided by various friends, were arranged in an album and presented to Clint by Mrs. Ken Carter."

Closing Thoughts

Clint Hodgins was a larger-than-life personality. He enjoyed a tremendously interesting and successful career, in many ways unparalleled in the sport. He generally did not like writers and reporters, and at times a few others drew his ire. Beneath his sometimes rather brusque exterior was a kind and caring man who treated those around him kindly and with respect.

He was a man of few extremes and, even after becoming very successful, he continued to observe a simple lifestyle. He most often lived in a tack room rather than residing in fancier surroundings. He had a wide circle of friends and colleagues and never forgot them. He often visited old-time friends and always enjoyed seeing children.

Clint liked to ice skate and did so often with the world-famous skater and fellow Canadian Barbara Ann Scott. He is shown pictured above with the young Miss, who was just 22 when this photo was taken.

Clint never married. A close associate of his once told me that he said, "I never married because if I got married on Saturday and went downtown on Monday and saw someone I liked better, that would not be a good thing."

Quote For The Week: "I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure...."

Who Is It?

Can you identify this tremendously popular fellow from the fairly recent past? His colour eliminates a lot of others.

Who Else Is It?

Can you identify the driver in this one? Sorry, no points given for the location.

(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)