In the latest version of Rewind, Robert Smith serves up another edition of the monthly feature "Years Ago." This time, his short stories and old photos are all centered around events, people and places in the news during the decade of the 1950s. This was an eventful time in the sport's history as new tracks opened, old ones were updated, and the racing season was gradually growing longer.
1950 - Victory Hy Records 66 Wins In A Single Season
Victory Hy, a winner of 66 heats in 1950, was a "winning machine" despite being blind for much of his lifetime. He raced in an era when winning a lot of races did not mean winning a lot of money.
Way back in 1950, an amazing horse (perhaps appropriately) named Victory Hy scored an incredible 66 wins in a single season. One must remember that in those days heat racing was in vogue, which meant that a horse could rack up three wins in a single afternoon. That, coupled with the frequency that a horse raced, meant that the totals could count up rather quickly.
That year was a banner season for a then-six-year-old son of Victorious Hal out of the mare Crusanna. He was owned by a gentleman named Stan Blewett, who listed his home as Indian River, a small dot on the Ontario map in the Rice Lake region near Peterborough. Mr. Blewett raced many horses over the years and at one time ran a successful livery business in the area.
While this horse was a prolific winner in several campaigns, it was in 1950 that he really "clicked." A 66-win season in 1950 was followed by another highly productive 1951 campaign in which he won another 41 races. While not often considered as a record, 107 wins in two seasons is probably a candidate for the books as well. Despite these huge win numbers, the purses were so low that money winnings were scarcely mentioned. In 1950, his 66 wins netted a paltry $3,219 — less than $50 a victory!
1951 - Malcolm Hanover Wins Canadian Pacing Derby
A crowd of 10,000 eager fans watched the 16th annual Canadian Pacing Derby at New Hamburg's Fountain Park as Malcolm Hanover won both heats. This U.S.-bred speedster was the property of Owen Sound auto dealer Ken MacKinnon and was driven to his double-heat win by Bill Simmonds. Second in both heats was Canada Direct with veteran driver Wilmer Hillock up.
The Derby was then in its third decade of competition and remained the province's most prestigious event, although a new racing venue was also offering some events with higher purses. Thorncliffe Park in Toronto, which opened in 1950, had just introduced the Canada Cup for pacers and the Maple Leaf Trot. The Pacing Derby had a flavour of its own and served as an important building block for what was ahead for the sport of harness racing.
Ken MacKinnon, on the left, a longtime owner of Grey Motors in Owen Sound, is shown in this 1951 photo taken at New Hamburg, Ont. That year, his top horse, Malcolm Hanover, won the Canadian Pacing Derby. The presenter on the right is Wilfred "Wick" Fraser of Forest, Ont., representing the previous year's winner, Dr. Stanton.
1955 - Canadian Horseman Racing At Magnolia Downs In New Orleans
Far from the ravages of Canadian winters, blizzards and frozen water pails, Canadian horseman Floyd Milton was trying a new form of "winter" racing. He had his modest outfit of mainly trotters stabled at Magnolia Downs in New Orleans, La., for their second annual meeting. It seems wherever racing is held, Canadian horsemen are likely to be present. One of Milton's top performers at this time was the nice trotting mare Dixie Tass, then six years old and the owner of a record of 2:04.4. At about this time Mr. Milton gave up racing and training and became a judge, a position he held for many years.
Harness racing was introduced here in 1954 but failed to catch on with the local fans. By 1959 it was discontinued and the track was renamed Jefferson Downs, catering only to the runners. Its entire history was plagued by bad luck, which culminated in its near destruction in 1965 when Hurricane Betsy came through.
1956 - Henry Thomas Retires
Henry Thomas, the great horseman originally from Joliet, Ill., was given a farewell sendoff at Roosevelt Raceway. After a long career in the sulky, he was retiring into a new job as a judge (see below). Thomas was born into a racing family, as his father Al was a premier reinsman back in the very early days.
Henry moved from his Midwest roots in 1918 to train and drive for the Laurel Hall Farm located in Indianapolis. By 1937 he moved to Pennsylvania, where he joined Hanover Shoe Farms as head trainer and driver. He would go on to win three Hambletonians — his first with Shirley Hanover, next with McLin Hanover, and in 1944 with Yankee Maid. He had very deep ties to Hanover Shoe Farms.
Thomas was the father of Richard "Dick" Thomas, an outstanding horseman in his own right. Unfortunately, Henry Thomas passed away in 1957, the year following his retirement, thus having a very short stay as a racing judge. He became a member of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1960, three years after his passing.
Francis (Pete) Smith (left) and announcer John Fragger (centre) present a tea set to the honouree during Henry Thomas Night at Roosevelt.
Quote For The Week: "It was either that or farming, and how are you going to keep them down on the farm after they've seen parimutuels?" — Herve Filion about how all his brothers became drivers.
MILESTONE TODAY
Back on June 6, 2009, the very first Rewind column appeared on this website. It chronicled the life and times of the memorable southwestern Ontario horseman Levi "Jiggs" McFadden from Dresden, Ont. Seventeen years (884 weeks) have passed since then. Thanks for reading!
Below is the first comment from the first-ever column, submitted by Mark McLennan — June 6, 2009, at 11:17 p.m.
"Loved this reminiscence.
Let's have lots more of them.
There are still lots of old-timers and Hall of Famers around who could supply volumes of stories about the history of our sport."
Who Is It?
Can you identify this duo? This homebred trotting filly rewrote the record books for speed at both age two and three, with her owner, trainer and breeder in the sulky. In 1959, the drivers began wearing safety helmets (shown above) that replaced the traditional old silk caps that had been around forever.
Who Else Is It?
Can you put a name on this young lad? You might even still see him in action on any given night. A word of caution; he currently has a slightly different hairstyle. Give it a try.
Where Was It?
This very plain old grandstand was once home to a very famous Canadian race that is still held annually, but not at this location. Thousands were in attendance year after year from 1936 to 1957. Where was it located?
(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)