Saturday Coffee Break #13

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Images merely online temporarily and will be removed at 2:00 PM EST
Saturday May 10, 2008

Horse and Driver
http://www.mi-harness.net/eur/mys01.jpg

Driver
http://www.mi-harness.net/eur/mys02.jpg

Driver
http://www.mi-harness.net/eur/mys03.jpg

Driver
http://www.mi-harness.net/eur/mys04.jpg

Driver
http://www.mi-harness.net/eur/mys05.jpg

Driver
http://www.mi-harness.net/eur/mys06.jpg

[wilderness]

mys01
Young Turk and Gene Riegle

http://www.mi-harness.com/publct/griegle.html

from Oct 6, 1971 Harness Horse and Lexington
Hoot Speed, Castleton Farm's top trotter, produced the second fastest trotting mile of the year in winning the Transylvania in 1:573/5, winding up the day's events in fine style, besting the Gene Riegle driven, Another Love, two and one-half lengths. Gene had his party earlier in the proceedings when he piloted the 3-year-old Widower Creed colt, Young Turk, which he co-owns with the Little Six Stable, to a new lifetime record of 1:574/5.

from Dec 9, 1959 Harness Horse:
THE GENE RIEGLE STABLE
UNTIL SHELVED by a leg Injury in the $68,032.84 American-National Maturity Trot at Sportsman's Park, the handsome chestnut trotter Mr. Saunders 3, 2:012/5 was fulfilling the promise of his two- and three-year-old form in the Three Way Stable, which is trained by Gene Riegle.
The talented young Greenville, Ohio, teamster opened the season with the blaze-faced son of Florican at Hazel Park. There in a span of two weeks the four-year-old stallion riddled the ranks of the fast-class trotters in three consecutive $4,000 events, his early season miles of 2:05, 2:05 and 2:033/5 thoroughly discouraging the likes of Darneau, Gladys Volo, Rasmatz, etc.
Heartened by three such impressive tune-ups the Three Way Stable shipped to Yonkers, N. Y., for the rich Gotham Trot and a try at the winner's end of its $43,500 purse.
Parading to the gate with the Ohio invader that evening were 11 of trotting's finest, including Trader Horn, Steamin' Demon, Newport Star and Rich Colby. Mr. Saunders, rushing out of the gate for Riegle, grabbed the race track at the start and stepped off a :301/5 quarter, closely followed by Two Gaits entry of Rich Colby and Sandalwood. In front of the Yonkers grandstand the first time Lumber Along, handled by Johnny Simpson, ranged up for the lead, but had to give way shortly thereafter when the midwesterner swarmed back to the front at the three-quarters. In the stretch Trader Horn tried for Billy Haughton and trotted to within a half-length of Mr. Saunders at the wire.
In winning his fourth straight of the season Mr. Saunders set a season's record of 2:02 and erased Galophone's 2:022/5 tab for four-year-old trotters from Yonkers' track record book.
Before being sidelined Mr. Saunders added another victory, a second and a third to his card and earned $42,276. The stallion, purchased by the Three Way Stable for $2,700, has now won $90,736.
His stablemates under the same ownership included Rusty M. p, 2:034/5h, winner during the Suburban Downs meeting, and Rickie Volo 2:09, a Hazel Park winner.
One of the larger sections in Gene's stable this year was a division of the Poplar Hill Farm Stable, owned by Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Larkin. Of these Riegle gave Rocket Byrd his 1:583/5 tab against the fence at Du Quoin and he campaigned Aquiline Byrd which this fall paced in 1:592/5 for Johnny Simpson, also in a time trial.
Rocket Byrd, a bay brother to 3 in 2:05 as he is by Poplar Byrd out of Marion Direct, visited the winner's circle on six occasions, most of his wins coming in features at the Chicago tracks. He was also second four times and third four times in, winning some $7,500 this year.
Aquiline Byrd, a full sister to Quilla Byrd p, 3, 1:593/5h, also acquitted herself as well against competition as she did in -her bouts with the watch. Her top effort of the season for Riegle came at Springfield where she took the $12,200 Illinois State Fair Colt Stake for three-year-old pacing fillies in straight heats of 2:033/5 and 2:023/5.
The Poplar Hill Farm string also in-cluded the heat winners in Springfield's big colt stakes, Evalina Byrd p, 2, 2:09h (second to Countess Adios in 2:013 3/5 at Du Quoin), Abbe Dell p, 3, 2:053/5; the three-time winner Lou Byrd p, 2, 2:09, and Calvin Byrd, which Gene marked in 2:063/5 at Du Quoin.
One of the major events during Grand Circuit at Hazel Park, the $7,850 Sep Palin, fell to the Peter Romona Hal colt Golden Lind, which Gene brought from
far back for an upset score in 2:083/5 over Merrie Amos. In this and later action the colt won close to $5,000 for owner F. C. Staley of Anderson, Ind.
Another of his top performers in 1959 was My Tomboy, winner of five events and more than $5,000. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carlock, Greenville, Ohio, the Thomas B. Scott-Elaine fouryear-old mare took her record of 2:043/5 for Riegle in nosing out the tough Hardy Royal.
The seven-year-old mare Betty Steward also took a tab of 2:043/5 with Riegle in the sulky. The score was one of several at Hazel Park and Chicago for her owner Frank Boaz, Anderson, Ind., for whom Gene also raced Adeyscot 2:09, a winner this year.
Other Riegle winners during the Hazel Park meeting were Mr. and Mrs. Sopusek's Model 2:051/5, which was also third one heat of the Historic-Dickerson Cup, and Lynn Wick p, 2, 2:082/5h, owned by Dr. L. C. Rees of Millersville, Pa.

The $43,500 Gotham Trot at Yonkers falls to Three Way Stable's Mr. Saunders as Gene Riegle gets the Florican chestnut to the wire in 2:02, a half-length in front of Trader Horn (8-Haughton).

Gene Riegle wins an overnight at Lexington in 2:011/5 with Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Larkin's Rocket Byrd, which Gene sent against the fence earlier in the season in 1:583/5.


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mys02
Ken Heeny

From March 2, 1955 Harness Horse and Chatham, NY:
The remainder of the horses are owned by local sportsmen who train in their spare time and include James Scott, Forest Ellis, Ken Heeny, William Craft and Caroll Rehder.

from 1974 USTA Handbook
HEENEY, Kenneth W. BIRTHPLACE: Albany, N.Y.
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. BIRTHDATE: 10-17-34

A star athlete at Valatie (N.Y.) High, from which he graduated in 1953, Ken Heeney needed little time to become established as a driver in the harness racing sport. Senior Class President, baseball captain, N.Y.
Sectionals 100 and 200 yd. winner two consecutive years, and member of undefeated soccer team, Heeney followed high school with a year at
Trinity College, and three in the service, serving in Korea.
Married the former Brenda Waldorf, of Hudson, N.Y., in 1956, and has three children. Following discharge from service he started in the sport as a groom, for Nick Laria, and drove his first race at Hinsdale, N.H. in 1958. Won first parimutuel race in 1960, and for next three years drove only limited number of times each season. Starting with 1964 season rapidly picked up winning ways and has posted eight 100-plus seasons already.
Escaped injury in spectacular 5-horse spill at Saratoga in which Pete Daily received numerous injuries.
Ken is always among top dash winners at Monticello, and in 1972 passed 1,000 win mark.

Year Starts 1sts 2nds 3rds UDRS Money Won
1960 37 5 6 3 .252 2,122
1961 35 4 5 .194 1,920
1962 72 9 9 8 .231 6,537
1963 162 18 16 14 .195 10,142
1964 287 47 45 37 .294 33,680
1965 608 103 86 75 .289 68,164
1966 817 133 106 113 .281 102,178
1967 919 128 145 16S .287 129,642
1968 612 80 76 93 .250 111,608
1969 726 132 95 84 .293 135,859
1970 894 170 142 120 .323 198,506
1971 878 128 99 118 .253 142,783
1972 754 118 96 95 .269 177,728
1973 802 154 108 99 .308 229 800
1,229 1,350,669

2:00 Miles (1)
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mys03
Wes Coke
1974 USTA Handbook
COKE, Wesley BIRTHPLACE: Petrolia, Ont.

Scarboro, Ont. BIRTHDATE: 7-16-43

The western Ontario town of Petrolia is noted for it's oil industry and a young harness horseman named Wesley Coke. The 30-year-old Coke first gained prominence in 1963 when, at the age of 21, he was the leading dash winner in Canada with 79 victories (he also won 2 races in U.S.). Since then he has scored more than 1,000 victories and his horses have earned $1-million plus.

Coke's driving career began at Connaught Park in 1960. His father, Cecil Coke was set down and not allowed to drive for six days. A horse of his entered to race drew in from among the "also eligibles" and with father Coke sitting out his suspension, son Wes was elected to drive Dr. G. Chief, a nonwinner at that particular meeting. Wes piloted the longshot to a second place finish and afterwards guided him to three straight victories.

Wes got his "horse education" from his father, and the two have formed a partnership. While Wes handles the racing stock, his father remains at London breaking young horses and readying new stock for the races. Wes says, Prima Pick was the horse that has done the most for me". In 1973 Wes "catch-drove" the great trotter Flower Child to victory in the Ft. George trot at Greenwood.

Year Starts 1sts2nds 3rds UDRS Money Won
(a) 69 --- --- --- ---
1963 --- 81 --- --- -- 31,499
1964 492 95 86 58 .329 58,289
1965 468 78 76 66 .304 69.858
1966 638 110 84 91 .292 106,550
1967 534 88 88 73 .302 84,482
1968 664 116 124 93 .325 150,146
1969 646 109 91 95 .296 156,972
1970 643 83 109 85 .267 146,116
1971 685 71 89 77 .213 143,152
1972 827 93 124 113 .241 210,732
1973 943 102 150 104 .233 277 570
1,095 1,435,366

(a) wins recorded prior to 1963

[wilderness]

mts04
George Phalen
http://www.mi-harness.com/publct/drvinf/006drv.html#Phalen
June 1972 Hoof Beats
http://shop.ustrotting.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=152
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mys05
Charlie Clark
from 1974 USTA Handbook:
CLARK, Charlie W. BIRTHPLACE: Lexington, Ky.

Orlando, Fla. BIRTHDATE: 7-26-24

Charlie Clark was born to racing. "As a kid we lived four houses from the main entrance to the Lexington Trotting Track. All my life I've been around horses." He worked mostly with thoroughbreds after finishing high school at Lexington Henry Clay. "I really didn't start fiddling with Standardbreds until about 1960.11 Before that he was the only person in Kentucky to hold training licenses for both thoroughbred and harness racing.

Although Clark has developed many solid stakes winners during the past 10-12 years recognition has come only within the past few seasons. In 1965-66 he trained the trotting fillies Arabesque and Starlight Way, who won Roosevelt's Lady Suffolk in successive years. In 1970-71 he sent out four Grand Circuit winners--Lansdowne, Lovester, Linger Awhile and Flying Bret, who won his first career start in 2:00.4, and went on to lower this mark to 2:00.2.

During the past 24 months Charlie has sent out such 2:00 stakes winners as Tamerlane, who won the $93,242 Yonkers Futurity in the colt's fourth career start; Perky Mindy, Shifting Scene, Desirade and Tarport Bret.

Tamerlane did not race at two because of a series of problems. He made his career debut on May 8th at Lexington's Red Mile, winning in 2:O5.2. He had two more successful efforts including a 2:00.1 Red Mile triumph before winning the Yonkers Futurity on June 16th. The following week Tamerlane finished second in the Gen. George Washington at Brandywine, beating Arnie Almahurst and MacArthur, then captured the Reading Futurity at Laurel. Shipped to Vernon to prepare for the Gold Cup in late July, Tamerlane pulled muscles in his back and hind quarters, and was retired

to stud starting in 174 at Castleton Farm. "There will be other horses in other years, but Tamerlane was certainly the best trotter I've ever trained."

Clark and wife Phyllis have five children, and make their home in Orlando, Fla. near Ben White Raceway and "some real fine fishing holes."

Year Starts 1sts 2nds 3rds UDRS Money won
1960 12 4 2 2 .481 674
1961 90 13 7 12 .232 5,955
1962 105 10 13 8 .189 5,205
1963 79 15 9 9 .291 7,162
1964 59 12 5 9 .301 5,413
1965 3 1 1 .519 480
1966 83 12 12 14 .281 31,550
1967 66 14 12 10 .364 23,819
1968 57 10 11 6 .318 9,709
1969 78 9 12 9 .239 9,787
1970 112 36 12 10 .411 91,120
1971 88 20 7 11 .313 49,826
1972 131 23 20 15 .301 70,334
1973 101 24 12 13 .347 122 433
203 433,467

Classic Races

Yonkers Futurity:Tamerlane-1973

2:00 Miles (6)

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from July 1979 Hoof Beats:
Charlie Clark Looking for the brick wall

TEXT BY MARY JEAN WALL

PHOTOS BY GEORGE SMALLSREED AND ED KEYS

On frozen February days when men huddled next to tackroom stoves for comfort, the word that sped to Lexington barely had time to shed the warmth of palms that whisper secrets in the breezes at Orlando.
Charlie Clark was training a colt whose fast miles could gut all other 2-year-olds. Bet on it. As the word spread, so grew the colt's reputation. By the time Whamo arrived in Lexington in April, he was already legendary, champion pro-tem before his first race.
"Well, any time I wanted to know how fast my colt trained all I had to do was call Lexington the minute I climbed out of the bike," Clark said with an amused grin. The whispered rumors had Whamo pacing in 2:05 by early March. Clark stood no more chance of getting a price in Whamo's first start than gasoline stood to sell for 20 cents a gallon.
But if Whamo blistered fingers holding stopwatches, he also caused the men holding these watches to bristle at the
way he came by his fast miles. "Too fast, too soon," most horsemen shuddered as they shook their heads in amazement over Whamo's precocious training schedule. If speed kills, as the saying goes, Whamo figured to be six feet under by the first week of the Grand Circuit.
Despite the talk, Clark did not let up on Whamo's training. At the same time, the colt thrived on the pace of the curriculum. When it came time to debut in Lexington, Whamo won his first qualifying start in 2:05.1 April 2 5, then won again by 21/2 lengths May 2 in 2:02.3. In his first pari-mutuel start May 10, Whamo became the first 2-year-old in history to pace in 2:00-flat so early in the season. He was the talk of racetracks everywhere. As the Grand Circuit approached, great things were expected.
A medium-sized browncolored horse who possesses considerable barrel and stands up well, Whamo shows a lot of width between his front legs, which eliminates the need to race in boots, Clark bought the colt for $13,500 at Tattersalls for Ira Kristel and his family, who race as Flying Bret, Inc. Whamo, bred by Futurity Hill Farm and out of the mare Mannart Royal Ann, was sold on looks alone.
Clark had raced the colt's sire, Flying Bret. When Furitity Hill's co-owner, Polly Hilliard Fahs, called to say she was selling a colt who looked just like Flying Bret, Clark had to take a look.
"I called Ira Kristel and told him here's a horse that looks more like his daddy than any I've seen," Clark recalled. "I said he walks like him, stands like him, moves easy like him, covers a lot of ground when he moves walking, and looks like he goes clean of himself. I thought he was really quite a nice horse and wasn't going to be expensive because he had a splint, although it wasn't critical looking. "
Splints had been Flying Bret's nemesis. "When I looked Flying Bret over in the sale I personally didn't like him because he had two huge splints in front uptight to his knees," Clark remembered. The splints caused Flying Bret to bear out somewhat, which cost him a few races. Eventually the unsoundness brought on his retirement. But Flying Bret was a horse with a lot of natural ability and easy speed. As soon as Whamo began training, Clark could see that father had passed these traits on to his son.
"Whamo could do simply, easily, what the others struggled to do," Clark said. "The first time I put a harness on him he just paced along free-legged and easy. He could do more right that minute than the rest of my colts could fighting to do it. They were battling to be on the pace, battling to do something right. Whamo was just an easy mover. "
Natural talent is a mark of ability. But talent's depth, called class, cannot be determined until a horse is tested with his own kind. Whamo had not been tested into June. He had always paced alone. But while other horsemen marvelled at his speed, Clark refused to commit himself on the colt's class, saying, "how good he really is we won't know until he's going in two minutes, the rest are going in two minutes, they look one another in the eye and see who's going to give first. That's what class is, when you're up on your toes and you find out who's toughest.
"People make a lot of premature judgments on speed and speed alone," Clark added, "but as far as I'm personally concerned this colt has proved nothing. He's proved he's got speed, that he's sound, that he's got good breeding and he's well mannered. But the one big item he hasn't proved is class."
Charlie Clark is a self-styled, independent and outspoken Kentuckian who was born to racing. He grew up near Lexington's trotting track and has a brother, John, who is deeply involved with thoroughbred racing. Charlie, too, has dealt with both types of horses and before he switched to Standardbreds in the early 1960s, he was the only person in Kentucky to hold training licenses for both harness and thoroughbred horses.
While other horsemen criticize his training methods, the bettors love Charlie Clark because they see in him a deliverance. The fans made Whamo 1-5 in his first start.
"People like to bet on Charlie because they know he'll go as far as he can, try as hard as he can, and never hold back," said one observer. "His colts are ready to race when they come up from Florida because they've had more fast miles than any other 2-year-olds. When Charlie puts a horse on the track, the public knows that horse is ready to go, especially if it's a first-time starter. "
Clark denies that he's hard on a horse. "I personally think I got an awful lot done with a lot of ordinary pedigrees," he said, "and I think if most people were hit with that fact head-on they'd say it's true. There's no secret. If you spend a lot of time on your horse instead of the golf course or the cabarets, you'll get a better mannered horse and in the end he'll learn his lessons better and quicker. "
Clark draws from a horse as much as the animal can give without the lemon being squeezed too dry. "I always train a horse well within himself," he said. Other horsemen see him draining horses before their time. Clark says he is testing, asking questions.
"It's still a game of survival of the fittest," he said. "You can't do them any favors. They've got to be able to stand the grief."
"It's all a question of where you draw the line, of what's early and what isn't early," Clark said. "When is the training period over? Personally, I think after you've had six months in Florida, the training is over. If they're not ready to do something the first of May, your job's not too well done. The first Grand Circuit stake is at Brandywine, which means one thing. If you want to be a contender you'd better be able to pace in two minutes or better the first day of June. If that's so, how much time have you got to waste?
"I get accused of training too fast. But my standard answer is that if I'm going in two minutes now and the others are going in two minutes now, when did they close the gap? Did they close the gap off at a mile in 2:10 to go in two minutes? Somewhere along the line if they had been retarding these horses in around 2:15 or 2:20, they must have taken an awful drop, so I think what happens is that the routine works we hear about are not always true."
Whamo has always paced within himself, Clark says. But as soon as he meets colts just coming to themselves on the Grand Circuit, the question of class will be asked.
"Where's your brick wall?" Clark mused as he opened a pack of cigarettes on a paddock bench one night in Lexington. "Where do you hit your brick wall? Where does the struggle start? The other colts that I trained with Whamo, they found their walls right quick.
"Whamo has been one of the fortunate ones that was well mannered, extremely good gaited and who had high speed, " Clark said. "But you know and I know and we all know that before the year is over these horses will be pacing in :55. That's five seconds away, so I get back to the same thing: where is his brick wall? Is it two minutes, is it :59 or is it :58 ? If it's :58, later on when the rest catch up and develop, Whamo could easily pace a mile in :59 and get distanced. "
By early June the process had begun. One day at Brandywine a filly trained faster than Whamo. Clark began the Grand Circuit season with a handful of colt and he might still end the year with a horse whose legs are strong as iron. But he also went forth holding no illusions as he began the search for Whamo's Brick wall.

Charlie Clark startled the Standardbred world when he guided Flying Bret, above, to a 2:00.4 win in the colt's first pari-mutuel start as a two-year-old on May 15, 1970. This year, Clark reined Whamo, left, a son of Flying Bret, to a win at the Red Mile in 2:00 in his first pari-mutuel start as a two-year-old, making him the earliest two-minute two-year-old in Standardbred history.

Three foals by Lover's Walk performed well for Clark in the early 70's-Lovester (right hand page), Lansdowne (right? and Tamerlane. Shifting Scene (top), was a two-minute two-year-old for Clark in 1972.

Lovester was the first of three foals by Lover's Walk to race successfully for Charlie Clark. The Speedster mare raced well on the Grand Circuit as a three-year-old, with stake wins at Hazel Park, The Meadows, Springfield, Delaware and Lexington. She took her record of 3, 2:01.1 in the Almahurst Farm filly stake at Lexington.

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mys06
Billy Faucher