The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-30
SPORTING NEWS.
The Fast Horse Gold Heels Has
Checkered Career
Winner Of the Suburban Wasn't
Good Enough For Whitney.
WAS AWKWARD COLT.
Sold and Res0ld Several Times
Before He Developed.
In Great Form at } Years and
Won Every Race.
WAS AWKWARD COLT.

PHILADELPHIA June 3e.-Gold Heels, son
of The Bard and Heel and Toe, winner
of the Suburban. has had a checkered
career. He had been sold and resoId
several times before his true cahber
showed itself
1t was at A. J. Cassatt's Chesterbrook
farm, the noted home Of thoroughbreds,
that this famous son of The Bard and
Heel and Toe first saw the light fear
years ago.
Gold Heels was Just an ordinary look
ing colt. with q white nose and great
long legs that gave him an awkward,
ungainly appearance as he trOtted after
his mother in the rich pastures of the
Chester Valley. No judge of racers
would have singled him out as the pick
of Mr.. Cassatt's string Of yearlings, but
Ernest Leech. who had ridden The
Bard to the saddle and had always rid
den this famous thoroughbred in his ex-
ercise gallops, took a fancy to this
young son of a noble sire and predicted
great things for him.
When Leeeh first threw his leg over
Gold Heels glossy back when the latter
was is months old, the young thor
Oughbred made the circuit of the cas-
satt stables to the fastest time ever re
corded at ChesteFbrook farm, finally
ending his wild gallop by dashing
through the garden and throwing his
rider over his head into a cabbage
patch
These were the days when Gold Heels
only wore a halter and had never yet
looked through a bride. His future was
looming up, but he was still far from
being the best looking colt in Penn
Smiths stable.
BOUGHT BY ". c. WHITNEY.
In the fall of 1898, an agent for Will
liam c. Whitney visited Chester brook
Farm and purchased all of Mr.. Cassatt's
thoroughbred yearlings. There were
about a dozen in the bunch, including
besides Gold Heels The Rhymer and
Dactyl, two other horses who have since
earned brackets on the New York
tracks
The whole bunch went to Kentucky
to Craze on the blue grass and later
were shipped to Tom Welsh, of Mill
stone, N. J.. who worked them all Win
ter.
Gold Heels showed nothing sensation
al in the way of speed during these
workouts. In fact. his trials were rather
disappointing. and Mr.. Whitney, after
paying a visit to the stables and sizing
up the lot decided that the young son
of The Bard wasn't much good and
told Welsh he had better get rid of that
''White-faced colt"
AS a result Gold Heels was sold to
Sam Hldreth for a paltry 81 200 and
later fell into the hands Of David Sloan,
Of New York, who ran him as a two
year-Old with Indifferent success Gold
Heels had shown some good speed on
not enough to get the money, and when
Diamond Jim" Brady, who is the
whole thing in the stables of F. c.
McLeWee & Co. offered $500 for the
youngster he got him in hurry.
WAS GREAT THREE E1A R-OLD.
Then Gold Heels was turned over to
the veteran trainer Matt Allen, who
knows the difference between a cart
horse and handicap winner. and
things began to loom up for the white
faced colt from that day on Gold Heels
Won not only nearly every race in which
he was entered as a 3-year-Old last year
but he also captured the WOODLAND
vase at Morris park, the most classic
event contested for on any Of the big
New York tracks.
So pleased We're AIcLewee and Brady
with Gold Heels work that they sent
Allen over to ChesterbroOk that fall to
buy Mr.. Cassatt's entire string Of year
lings. Matt" spent just % minutes in
sizing up the lot, and it took him one
minute longer to secure them al for his
owners. He also has the refusal of the
bunch of thoroughbreds at the Cassatt
farm this year.
In the fall Of 1901 McIewee and
Brady turned down an offer Of $25. 600
for Gold Heels, q pretty good price for
a white-faced youngster that had been
kicked out of Mr.. Whitney's stable.
Gold Heels preparation for the Sub
urban now began in earnest He was
worked carefully all winter and then in
the spring was started in just one race,
when, after being bumped all over the
track worse than If he had been in
football match. he beat Blues to the
wire by a good length.
Then came the Suburban, and in that
terrific drive through the stretch at
Sheepshead Bay the White-faced colt
with Wonderly scarcely laying a hand
on him, dashed under the wire a hall
length in front Of Pentecost, with Blues
the pride Of Tammany, a length and a
half behind the winner. Fifty thousand
madly cheering enthusiasts hailed Gold
Heals as the new king Of the t1l1.f