The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-29
ABOUT DIRECT HAL
WAS HE RAISED AT McuRDY's
 PLACEp
The Monk Also Received His Early Education at Lowndesboro-In- terest in Local Race Meet.
 Tournament of the
 Troy Gun Club.

Tournament of the
 Troy Gun Club.
 A gentleman in Selma writes that the pacer, Direct Hal, who won the Cham Der of Commerce in Detroit, the first heat in 2:06 3-4 was trained and received all his early education on the McCurdy place in Lowndes County. The Monk also being raised there. These two horses, says the Selma gentleman, while raised in Lowndesboro were not bred there. though he says he Is not certain that they were not both bred in Alabama. The pacer, The Tiger, who paced mile at matinee in Cleveland, Ohio, not long ago was also raised on the McCurdy place, Ben Rennick buying him from his Lowndes County owners and then selling him again.
 The first foal of Bessie Hal, the dam of Direct Hal was a half sister to MT. Mo- Curdy's Ella May, the mare that was over at Riverside last summer with the others in the McCurdy barn. Ella May was by McEwen out of Carrie, Mir. Mo Curdy's old brod mare that died up in Tennessee. A writer in recent issue of "The Horse Review" of Chicago has dam Bessie Hal and Ed Geers who is so closely interwoven in harness horse af- fairs in Montgomery and this section. The Horse Review man says:
 Of course all my readers are familiar Hal Pointer. whose terrific battles ten years ago brought the horse world to it's feet in admiration. l think l can safely say that these two horses are the best representatives of the two greatest and the Hals. The Hambletonians, of course, are not family of pacers, and I only use the term in referring to those of that family that took to the pacing
 Az Ln ~f aT1dfN To tonian 10-because I am not willing to admit that the Dictator branch of his family, from which came Direct, is any greater than the Wilkes branch so far as producing pacers is concerned. MT. Geers. who bred Direct Hal. is an ex- practical horseman, and the idea occurred to him to unite these two great families of pacerS while he was battling for life with the great Pointer horse. MT. Geers is welded to no god, he does not and has never cared a red copper whether a horse trots or .paces, so he does 1t fast and Is game enough to win. He knows no fashionable blood lines except those that get to the wire first. It never occur ference between a trotting-bred horse and a pacing-bred horse. He simply figured 1t out that these two horses were the greatest pacers of their day and by unit ing the two families he ought to get still greater pacer.
 And it looks as if he was right. The story of Direct Hal began with his dam. Bessie Hal, compactfy built black mare with big blaze in her face and stock ing feet feet She was f9aled su,arS about d, 1S, R ford, Station, Tenn, who, in 1885. had bought her sire, old Tom Hal Cor, as the trottlng register assininely calls him. Tom Hal. Jr., as if there ever were one be- horse died few years later. At his closing out sale this Ally was brought by Geers 6 Chaffin Bros, of Columbia, Tenn. who still own her. As this is the first time any great pacer has come from uniting the two greatest families of trotting- bred pacers and pacing-bred pacers, I will state her pedigree very fully: She was sired by Tom Hal, sire of Brown Hal; first dam by Prince Pulaski (sire of Matte Hunter 2:12 l-2). Prince Pulas<i's pedigree is unknown. he having been found in a government cor ral right after the war-but good horse- men believe he was son of old Trayeler, taken by Wilson's raiders Bessie Hal second dam was by Almont, Jr. (Bos- tick's). a son of Almont 8. Her third dam was by Elliston's Rattler.
 Coupled with Direct, this Is the blood that made Direct Hal. The season to Direct was a gift from MT. Salisbury to Ed Geers (wllen the former owned the little horse.
 The story of Direct Hal Is a fine illus tration of the developed sire and dam theory, for MT. Geers took the black Tom Hal Ally early and put her to work She was lighting fast-so fast that Mir. Geers never extended her the year he raced her. and the next year she paced heats for him in as low as 2:OS, and she has been timed separately in a race in 2:12. An accident happened and she was put to breeding
 Her first foal was a chestnut mare by McEwen. This Is a very handsome mare owned by Geers & Chaff1n Bros. andJ she has several Brown Hal colts to her credit.
 few years ago MT. Geers said he wanted to make an experiment, so he bred this McEwen mare back to Direct Hal, her half brother, and the result Is black 2-year-old colt. almost fac-simile of Di- rect Hal, and which MT. Geers's faith iul colored care-taker, Negley, is now jogging at Columbia, Tenn,, together with the Spy, Chimes stallion and son of Direct Hal. out of old Ella Brown, .:11 IA Bessie's second foal was by Fred s. Wilkes, 2:l1 3-4 It died Her .hird foal wes the wonderful Direct Hal; her fourth foal was High Pointer, son of Sky Pointer the hobbled pacer which MT. Geers thinks so much of. and which ,:10. Her fifth foal was by The Earl, son of MaInbrino King. and she was bred l year ago by The Spy, son of Chimes"
 The grand circuit has shifted from Cleveland to Columbus, Ohio., the meet ng at the latter place opening yester- lay and closing Friday, August 1. The 'eatures for today are the Buckeye for ,:12 trotters, 5000 6 in 5, and The Chit .enden, 2:16 pacing, 5000 6 in D. The .;O4 pace is on the card today also, and Dan Patch. Searchlight. Connot, h. iiana, etc., will start probably. The 1nly feature on the card for Wednesday Is The Columbus, 2:17 trotting, $2,000 6 in ), though the 2:10 trot set for that day ought to bring out a pretty good field. For Thursday the feature is The Neil, ,:2O pace, 5000, 6 in 3; the 2:07 pace e n 8 being on for that day. The card for Friday Is the worst of the. week. 2:29 oace 2:27 trot, 2:11 pace and 2:21 trot.
 Fred s. Wedgewood added renewed aurels to his own and Ed Geers name by clipping half second off he best time that has been made in his Detroit meeting he landed the first two heats of the 2:09 pace in 2:0S S-4 and 2:O6 lat, the Tasco gelding, Dan R., chasing lim home in both those heats and win hing the third himself in 2:05 S-4, Geers irving the Fred S. Wilks horse second. landed the fourth neat Tn .:10 1-2, Dan R. second. Captain SpynX md Terrace Queen alternating third and 'ourth in every heat, Salem, New Rich nond and Lou Vaugn getting behind the lag On the opening day at Cleveland he 209 pace was an eight heat fight, landing the first heat in JOS i-2, Captain Spynx landing the next 'ourth in POS fiat and the seventh and eighth in PIP 1-2. 2:13 IA, New Richmond, Lou Vaugn and Dandy C. being distanced while Salem was drawn after the third neat. Yesterday Wedgewood won the first two heats in 2:06 l-4, 2:O5 IA, Captain spynx taking the third in 2;O6 l-4. pan R was second in the first heat and fifth y, the pext fwo Lon VauRn heinz fourth