Old horses

[wilderness]

Which do you recall seeing race?

Do you recall the horses names that this old horse raced against?

What has made the memory of this old horse lasting?

Which track (s) did you see these horses at?

Who was the driver?
Do you recall the drivers colors?

Looking for a photo or article about an old horse?

[taintso]

my alltime fav (i don't go back too far) was Matt's Scooter. I still don't think I 'vee seen a better free-for-aller since. For just the old hard-knocking variety, how about an old claimer named Whitsend Skipper? He won 4 or 5 in a row in the late '80's at Yonkers/Roosevelt.

[gillenr]

My favs were Su Mac Lad, Adios Butler, Widower Creed, but best fav of all was Steaming Demon(SP), a double-gaited FFA/JFA who had a combined best under 4 mins!

[melman]

Wow Gillenr you do go back quite a ways. My fav all time race was at the old Brandywine Raceway. French Chef driven by Stanley Dancer and Artie's Dream driven by Shelly Goudreau as those two put on an "Affirmed-Alydar" rumble from the half mile pole to the finish with Artie just getting up in the last jump. Think my best horses of all time that I have seen are
Niatross
Nialator
Jenna's Beach Boy
Super Bowl
Silk Stockings
Two horses this year are great one's and deserve to be HOY but of course there can only be one so I would vote for Windsong's Legacy, but Rainbow Blue is one great filly pacer.

[gillenr]

I haven't seen a buggy race in 25 yrs.

[Tom]

I saw Niatross in the flesh at Batvia years back. Impressive horse. House was packed that night.

[trickey]

In my opinion the best harness horse i ever saw was niatross.

My favorite harness horse was the first horse i ever cashed a ticket on, opening night of the meadowlands racetrack back in the 70's.

That horse was Rambling Willie....I beleive he was a gelding so he raced until he was about 11 or 12.....

What a game horse he was.....never gave up in a race......

I beleive his driver was Robert Farrington, but i am not sure....

I remember him running against and beating Oil Burner at the Meadowlands.....

[Zaf]

My all time favorite was Seatrain, its quite possible he knocked heads with Rambling Willie once or twice. I think he raced till he was 13 or 14.

ZAFONIC

[cryptic1]

I haven't paid much attention to the harness scene in recent
years,but there is one horse that sticks out. He wasn't the
fastest nor the prettiest but Cam Fella was one tough SOB.
I remember him at old Greenwood running in some local stake
series before he had made a name for himself. He would grind
it out every week like a machine. Whether it was -10C or
snowing heavily he refused to lose. He was just a rugged
gunfighter who wouldn't quit.

Pleasantly reminiscing,
cryptic1

[wilderness]

I'm going to attempt to reply to a bunch of mails at one time.
Many thanks to everybody who took the time and made the effort to respond.

Matts Scooter I've been told was a warrior.
I believe Witsend's is the correct spelling? I may have something on both he and Matts however I working a schedule of 1949 and the 80's and 90's are a bit off.

I have a page on Adios Butler. Su Mac Lad is covered extensively in one of the three Stanley Dancer articles I have online. There may be some photo's of Lad as well.
Widower Creed is a name I recall however not sure if I presently have anything, short a few mentions of his name.
I don't recall which, Stanley Dancer took either Cardiagn Bay or Su Mac Lad to a NY Public School and there is a photo of Dancer and the horse surrounded by about 300 kids. Later that week around 75 of the kids came to either Yonkers or Roosevelt to be introdced to harness racing and the horse on the track. Of course, the kids parents tagged along also.

Most Demon's were descendants of Demon Hanover who won the Hambletonian in 1948 with an amateur driver, Harrison Hoyt. Hoyt was known previously for the Hoyt Hat Company.

Niatross was a horse most everybody from that time remebers. His preformances were amazing and then his Time Trial at Lexington made most every radio and TV station and most newspapers. Incredible. I was fortunate to have seen him race at Windsor Raceway (in fact today's date (December 7 [then 1980] is the anniversary of that time.)

Nihilator was trained by Billy Haughton and driven (in most) instances by Bill O'Donnel. It was changing of the times for Billy Haughton. O'Donnel and Nihilator were a supreme pair.

Super Bowl was the last trotting Triple Crown winner (before this year.)
Silk Stockings I have an article online.

Bikes or carts PLEASE! buggy is taboo :-)

There was a book written about Rambling Willie. You can still find some copies on ebay and online used bookstores. Some are even autographed with Willie's footprint.
The Horse That God Loved was the title. Farrington's wife was part owner and either 5 or 10% of everything Willie won went to the wife's fathers church.
There was an article on Willie in which he was driven through the downtown streets of Columbus, OH (headquarters of the USTA) and then to Scioto Downs for a photo session.

I've been told on more than one occasion that Seatrain was a warrior. I've read some brief articles however nothing of depth.

People are still talking about Cam Fella. His sons and daughters are passing his heart for racing on.
He went slower than other horses of his time, however when those horses raced against Fella they couldn't hold the speed against Fella.
Just think what Fella might have accomplished with a decent reinsman sitting on the bike?

Thanks again to all

[Ragingmike]

NIATROSS got an ovation from the crowd that gathered by the fene when he was warming up about an hour before his Cane Pace elimination. I was at the fence in awe of the crowds reaction. I was 9 and remember it clearly.--- I think IDEAL du GAZEAU was the greatest trotter ever from outside the USA, and maybe in the top 5 all-time. I saw the International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway in 80 (he was 2nd) and then he won the next 3 , and 2 of the next 3 Challenge Cup trots, losing only when he made a break- all memorable performances. He did it on the front, from the back of the pack, or hung the whole race ---- [i]CAM FELLA won with terrible drives every week, only because his heart was bigger than his drivers brain.

[sq764]

I am not as old as you old-timers :-)...

But my favorite horse is still Red Bow Tie... Not the greatest of the great, but an alltime gamer with huge heart..

I can still picture him storming down the lane ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMING by as John Bothe calls him winning the Presidential Final (seemingly every year)

[Storm Cadet]

Back in the 70's ay Yonkers and Roosevelt

[Doc]

Favorite old horse: The Town Drunk, who was driven at old Liberty Bell Park by Vern Crank.

Ah, memories. :(

[sq764]

Favorite old horse: The Town Drunk, who was driven at old Liberty Bell Park by Vern Crank.

Ah, memories. :(
Living in Delaware, I only got to see Brandywine like 3 times... Never got to se Liberty Bell or Freestate...

[Zaf]

SQ,

Have you seen Herve Filion driving lately down there ? He has seemed to drop out of site for a while.

ZAFONIC

[Zman179]

Anyone who used to go to Roosevelt in the 1980's remembers Bobbo.

My favorite trotter used to be a horse called simply "Ni". She was just a $2500 claimer at Monticello in the 1980's who might win with a 2:10 mile, but she would always find a way to win for me when I had my $2 riding on her.

BTW Zafonic, Hervé is still driving at Dover. He had only one drive tonight, guess business is slow.

[Zaf]

Thanks Zman,

Used to like a horse at Monticello named "The Yank A" , cheap claimer , used to have Walter Case in the days when he was at Monticello. Horse used to win races in bunches.

Other cheap claimers that I liked.

Mr. AAA
Klanchens Boy
Sailor Joe
Momentous
Goose Step
Super Beetle

Doc,

I believe Town Drunk shipped up to Yonkers/Roosevelt for a while, I seem to remember him running up on the NY circuit for a while. He was quite good if I remember, think he ran in the Open's , JFA & FFA ranks when in NY.

ZAFONIC

[JustRalph]

http://www.niatross.com/index.html

pretty decent site

[bobbyb]

Memories

Thank You Ralph for posting Niatross's site!
Earl Lennox (Great Race caller from Greenwood days), myself, and a couple of trainers flew down to Syracuse August/1980 to watch probably the greatest (in my mind) pacer, reach for then a world record. It was a day to remember, for sure. Still have the photo's and the program tucked away.
There have been so many great moments in both Stand/Thoro, but for me, that day has to rate right up their among the best :cool:
bobbyb

[TrackManSam]

Thats the beauty of this game. IN the major sports, if you ask people who their favorite athletes are, they will tell you the more popular names. But in horse racing, it seems the favorites are the ones that you cash big on! Amorous Wellmanor when Hawthorne used to run harness during the winter months...horses like that. Thats what makes this game cool.


TrackManSam
www.ventyourfrustration.com (http://www.ventyourfrustration.com)

[Doc]

The Town Drunk did win a lot of races around the country, and it was always neat to hear the announcer shout, "And it's The Town Drunk...The Town Drunk's in front and drawing away!"

I had a yearling thoroughbred a few years ago that I named The Town Drunk in honor of his standardbred counterpart. Unfortunately the poor guy developed EPM (a neurological disorder) and never made the races. Maybe I can re-use the name in a couple of years.

[wilderness]

"Maybe I can re-use the name in a couple of years"

20 years is the USTA policy on reusing registered names.
There are some very famous names however, which will never be allowed reuse.

Don

[BIG HIT]

My all time favorite was albatross not sure of the spelling.As i remenber he was never defeated.Saw him at detroit race course.They wouldn't anounce if he was comeing because people would fly in with suit case's of money and bet him to show.I know that was that track biggest handle.and he wired the field

[wilderness]

BigHit,
I have multiple pages for Albatross:
this page contains links to five sub-pages;
http://mi-harness.com/Mich/hist/Albatross.html

a sixth page:
http://mi-harness.com/publct/albtrss.html

Even a page on Stanley Dancer which includes a summary of Albatross and some of his other horses:
http://www.mi-harness.com/publct/gllrychmps.html

Don

[BIG HIT]

Wilderness really interesting reading thank's for time and trouble.

[andicap]

Big Towner at YR. anyone remember him? Can't recall who drove.

I mostly remember the drivers...Redman, Dauplaise, Daignault, Cormier (who didn't win much but the others would let him win one on occasion)

[Zaf]

Remember many Saturday Nights going to Yonkers & Roosevelt to watch Big Towner run. He was quite a Sire also.

ZAFONIC

[wilderness]

Big Towner's sire (Gene Abbe) was an out-cross and sired Towner when he was 28YO.

Gene Abbe also had a season's record holder, 2YO foal (Irish) in 1954.

Don

[melman]

Hot Lead goes back a few years at the BigM, anyone remember this very very good old warrior?? Always gave 100% and raced in the winter spring and summer. The type of horse you would just love to own.

[bobbyb]

hey Mel
Hot Lead :ThmbUp: .........I can still hear,
the track announcer at that time (forgotten his name;really loved Piazza :) ) really get into it when that horse swung out, and drove to the wire. Tough warrior Mel.

bobbyb

[Ragingmike]

BOBBO was a tough gelding - held older gelding World record of 1:58.2 at Yonkers Raceway. DOCS FELLA was another tough OPEN pacer at Roosevelt & Yonkers. Won on the lead or from way back. I also remember NEWT LOBELL and CARMINE ABBATIELLO - also FIGHT THE FOE went on a tear in the early 80's after being a claimer for a few years. I have some video from 83 w/CARMINE driving him to wins in a few OPEN pace's.

[Zaf]

Momentous - Robert Rahner
Emery Wheel - Gino P.
Sun Shield - Earl Cruise
Mr. AAA - Carmine
Super Beetle - Lucien Fontaine
Goose Step
Queens Dyamo
Klanchens Boy
Goyo
Joyless Wicked

My all time favorite - Seatrain (class horse) doesn't belong with the above.

ZAFONIC

[wilderness]

"Goyo"

A gray or Roan.
Not sure when, however Remmen had the horse when I wagered on him.
Stumbled across his repetition of winning 1st out when moving to a new track.
Caught him at Wolverine in wire-to-wire at a decent price.
Damn if I recall what year that was?
He'd just left the Washington Park meet.


Don

[Zaf]

Yes he was a gray or roan ! One night at Yonkers I believe he drew the 8 post and I placed a $2 win bet on him. He paid about $50 to win. I was a wee lad then and it was one of my first big thrills in racing !

ZAFONIC

[slodog]

Bret Hanover!!!

Frank Ervin in the bike. I saw him pace a 153.3 at Vervon Downs . That was a world record at the time . He did that in the old wooden sulky which is equivelant to a lot faster time in todays lightweight sulkies.

In also saw Niatross He was also amazing!!
Jim
:cool:

[Zaf]

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/iss0405/artattack0415.html

Teddy Wing on some of the horses he claimed :

"I took Moe Collins for $40,000 and made about $250,000 with him. For Jewel's Dream I paid $30,000 and got back about $300,000 before he was taken. Total Freight was a good one, too. I took him for $30,000; he won $120,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year before I lost him back. But Art Attack, he's been really special. He made $60,000 the rest of the year for me in 2001, then $120,000 in 2002, $170,000 in 2003 and almost $120,000 last year.

ZAFONIC

[wilderness]

zafonic,
That was part of a Meadowlands PR which SC picked up on.
http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=8734&z=1

Too bad a fairly nice tribute to Teddy Wing was under the subject line of the Noel Daley detentions :(

Don