The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-10-21
Tom Heating Was a
Great Trainer and
ReinSman.
Death of Man Who Developed
Agitate, SearChIight, COney
Bonnie, Direct and
Mdtdwdh.

Tom Heating. the famous California
reiEsman. who died recently at Lexington,
KY. was pre-eminently the greatest of all
harness horse conditioners. and his death
will prove the hardest setback experienced
by the breeders of California since the de-
mise Of Governor Stanford.
Heating loved the sulky horse aud rractl-
cally died In harness. His health had been
very poor for three years. but he porse-
vered despite the warnings of some Of the
most eminent physicians in New York and
other cities.
He was born near Cincinnati IN 1863. and
went to Reno, New. in 1873. He became IS
one of the family OF L.. w. Lee. but left
in 1880 TO engage in the horse business. For
several years pas. Heating has been "A suf-
ferer from heart disease, but he was not
taken seriously Ill until two weeks ago
while n Terre Haute. He went TO Lnxing-
ton. accompanied by Edwin Gaylord. a
theater owner and horseman Of Denver. and
grew steadily worse after arriving in KEN
lucky.
Heating made a fortune upon the turf.
but dispensed it with a lavish hand. being
generous TO Il fault. His estate will not
amount 10 much more than Si0,0o9. Two
brothers ana a sister IN Kansas are named
among the legatees.
Heating died in the very zenith of his
fame-the peer OF any harness horseman IN
America His rise was meteo.ic and was
mainly cue to his wonderful tact and juig-
ment. combined with faithful attention 10
all matters OF detail connected with his
stable.
firing Of life on a Nevada cattle range he
embarked I'm the grocery business IN SaCrs-
mento. 1T was in the Capitol city that he
got the first opportunity 30 indulge IN his
hobby Of driving a harness horse. Some
DIV XanEA aswn no nnIn IA hrGN III,
East with the ~trCtters Sensation and James
L.. but he cid not succeed well and soon
returned 10 California. lie made quite a
record with Our Dick and Frank II. in the
early nineties throughout the California Cir
cult. Our Dick engaged In several memoir
able races in Southern California with Silk
Heating also handled the lines behind
Frank NJ. IN the classic race at Los An
Skinner participated. Fifteen thousand poo
pie witnessed the race aud S2),o coo went into
the pool box. The excitement WAS intense
when the judge gave the fourth heat 10
though Frank NJ. led from start 10 finish.
Heating was very much chagrined over his
treatment and owed that he would never
start another horse over the Los Angeles
track. He afterwards campaigned through
the Montana. circuit and, returning 10 Cali
fornia In 1896. drove Agitato to the worlds
3-year-Old pacing record at Woodland. This
Notwithstanding performance gave Heating
some prominence In the harness world. and
he campaigned q stable through the grand
circuit ir 1888. 1879 and 1900 with phenome-
nal results. He established worlds records
for the six PAGERS, Acitato. Searchiight. An
aconfa. Coney. Bonnie Direct and Kiata-
wah. a feat unparalleled In the history of
harness racing. No driver had anything
. like the success with sidewheclers that
Heating had. The brilliant campaigns maize
by Heating attracted the attention of the
/ multi-miilionafre James Butler of New
York, and he formed n combination with
the California driver with the idea of gath
ering together the greatest harness stable
in America for 1891. With this end I'm view
the celebrated San Mateo Stock Farm in
California, the home OF the dead Guy
Wilkes. was leased by James Butler for
one year. with the privilege OF buying. but
the death of Heating may upset all plans.
Butler was once heard to remark that
Heating was the greatest general that ever
went down the Grand Circuit. and that he
would give $50. coo to have his health re-
stored. Ed Gaylord Of Denver was with
Heating at the time of his death.