In this week's Rewind, Robert Smith takes a look back at some of the events and people in the sport during the decade of the 1960s in the ongoing monthly feature Years Ago. At this time in history, harness racing in Canada was growing by proverbial "leaps and bounds."
1960 – First Gold Cup & Saucer Race Held 65 Years Ago
In 1960 a totally new era began in Maritime racing when the Gold Cup & Saucer race was conceived. Its introduction coincided with the building of a new grandstand at the Charlottetown Driving Park, which replaced the old one that was gutted by fire after the end of the previous racing season.
The race was rather hastily arranged and co-sponsored by the City of Charlottetown and the local newspaper, the Charlottetown Evening Patriot. Firmly behind the project were E. Frank “Duck” Acorn, Driving Park co-owner as well as the race secretary, and Bill Hancox, the Patriot publisher. Their names will be forever attached to the starting of this now very famous race.
The winner of the first-ever race, held on Aug. 19, 1960, was Dee’s Boy, shown above with driver Lloyd MacAulay. Their fastest heat-winning effort in 2:06 earned the lion’s share of the $2,500 purse for owner Donnie McKenzie of Glace Bay, N.S.
A field of just six participants were entered in the inaugural. Dee’s Boy, a four-year-old roan son of White Mountain Boy – Dee’s Pride, had an incredible season that year following a brief career on U.S. soil as a three-year-old in Indiana. In 1960 he went on to make 41 starts and ended the year with 12 wins, 14 seconds and seven third-place finishes. His season bankroll was quite remarkable for a Maritime performer as he earned a tad over $9,000. His best mile was clocked in 2:06h flat.
Today the Gold Cup & Saucer trophy is considered the “Stanley Cup” of Maritime harness racing.
1960 – 1969: Two-Minute Miles Still Rare
As the decade of the sixties began, the elusive 2:00 mark in races was still very much at hand. Just one “Miracle Mile” had been achieved on Canadian soil prior to 1961, and that was recorded in 1959, of course, by Mighty Dudley and Keith Waples at Richelieu Park.
During the years 1960 to 1969, just 31 miles were recorded in 2:00 or under — an amazing statistic compared to the modern-day trend. During that time span, most of the sub-2:00 miles occurred at Quebec-based tracks. Blue Bonnets led the way with 21, while Richelieu Park tallied 4 and Quebec City had 1. Trailing the pack were four Ontario tracks: Greenwood (2), Mohawk (1), Garden City (1) and Windsor (1).
One horse stood out in the number of two-minute miles scored, and that was Blaze Pick, the beautiful chestnut pacing stallion owned by J. Russell Miller of Dutton, Ontario. He had five on the 2:00 list in total — four with Keith Waples and one with cousin Ronnie in the sulky.
1967 - Kincardine Track Holds Civic Holiday and Centennial Celebrations
Aug. 7, 1967: In 1967, Canada was in the midst of a year-long series of celebrations to observe Centennial Year, Canada’s 100th birthday. A number of racing locations held special race days; one was at Kincardine, Ontario.
An afternoon of harness racing was held here by the local Kinsmen Club as part of the annual Civic Holiday weekend celebrations. This year it was a combined gathering. Proceeds were used by the club to assist in local projects as well as their funding of a new roof for the grandstand earlier that year.
A full program of five races, each going two heats, entertained the large crowd of some 1,400 people on hand at Connaught Park, as the track was known. Several happenings, including the return of a local horseman, highlighted the afternoon. Bill Habkirk, who started his career here many years ago, was on hand to drive and was a popular winner behind Verso Lee from the Vern Soper barn.
His early lessons came at this track under the guidance of Joe Shelton, a local veteran horseman. Mr. Shelton was still active although he had reduced his involvement. At this time he sold harness racing equipment and acted as a local judge. Through his efforts, merchants of the town sponsored the gift of a cooler to the horse going the fastest heat in each race. Habkirk had gone on to be a well-known and successful horseman much further afield.
Thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. William (Ted) McLean of Goderich, who provided a prize to the driver of the fastest heat of the afternoon, Mr. Grant Betts of Flesherton went home $20 richer. His mile in 2:11.4 behind Speedy Hedgewood earned him the honour. The gift was to remember McLean’s former star Deep Run Danny, who raced here with distinction in years past.
1967 - A Season to Remember
On Oct. 14, 1967, Keith Waples, then 43, paused for a short while to hold up a sign following his 200th win during that season. The milestone was passed when he won the opening race that evening at Garden City behind the trotter Armbro Echo.
His lifetime total was 1,783 at the time and eventually rose to an official total of 3,206. Observers believed that many more were not recorded in the early days. In 1967 he drove the winners of 252 races, with 246 at home — an all-time record for a teamster racing almost solely in Canada.
1969 - New Bridge at Garden City Raceway
When the Ontario Jockey Club opened their third track on the circuit at St. Catharines, Ont., it was a state-of-the-art facility. The 5/8-mile stonedust track was engineered with banked turns and a surface that was designed not only to produce speed but also be efficient even in times of inclement weather.
Perhaps one area that was not as user-friendly as possible was the path from the stabling area to the paddock and grandstand. The stables were located south of Glendale Ave., while the track was across the street. For the first years of its existence, a set of traffic lights operated by a security person assisted the crossing of horses.
In 1969 a new bridge was constructed at a cost of $30,000 to make crossing the busy thoroughfare much safer, as it eliminated the street traffic. The new bridge was for horses and their handlers only and included three lanes, intended to meet the needs of the backstretch personnel. The official opening of the new structure was observed on July 4, 1969.
Because of the rather unusual layout of the Garden City facility, with a public street so close, it often attracted “non-paying” customers. People parked their cars on the shoulder of the road and watched a race or two from the comfort of their own automobile. Remember, in those days racing fans had to pay to enter the facilities.
At the time of the bridge’s opening, some 624 trotters and pacers were recorded as residents at the Garden City backstretch. That number would ensure that the new bridge would be well travelled. (See photo below.)
By now history has told us that while the Garden City track was initially successful, it did not enjoy a long history. It operated from 1964 to 1976.
The track was closed in 1976 and the three-location circuit was reduced to just Greenwood and Mohawk.
A view of the Garden City grandstand where the first-ever O.S.S. event took place on June 1, 1974. At this time the track was 10 years old.
Quote for the Week: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” — Steve Jobs
Who Is It?
Can you identify this horse and trainer-owner? Not a lot of people jogged their horses while wearing a top coat and fedora, but this gentleman did at least on this occasion. Who are they? (Hoof Beats photo.)
Who Else Is It?
Can you identify this long-serving horseman and his wife, who was the stable’s trainer? They were both going pretty strong in the 1960s.
Who Else Is It #2?
Can you identify the people in this photo taken in 1969 when the Garden City horse bridge was officially opened, as discussed above?
(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)