Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-22
TOP Notch Winner With
1907 Driving Horses.
Lon Mcdonald Is Second and
Mike BoWerman Third.
HighbaII's Earnings For Season
Amount to SI9,050.

| lie IS Il zero III HIS own especial circle,
and his opinions on matters relating to
grand sport of harness horse racing orc
eagcrlT sought by men of affairs, tho
great men Of commerce and state.
Since the days of George Woodruff
| and Peter Whelan the great drivers and
| trainers have enjoyed the delights and
| suffered the penalties Of fame Ike All
other gr,a men in all walks Of life.
one of the standards by which their
greatness is measured is the amount Of
| money they have won in a season with
| the horses in their charge.
, In looking over the list of drivers
whose winnings stand highest the pres
ent year tn" name of f.. +. GeerS APP
pears IT the top with $i3.322.
| Then comes Lon Mcdonald with $32.-
62i. Mike Boworman with $23.3oo. Wal
ter Cox with $20.960 and Myron G. Nc
Henry with $l7.45o
There arc other drivers who have
made extra high winnings, considering
the number of horses in training and
tho number of their starts.
| The colt General Watts, 2:hG "a.
which won the Horse Breeders stake
at ReaGville. worth to him 1880; the
| Horse Review at Columbus. worth
$42-o and the kentucky Futurity and
the Kentucky purse. one worth 100000
and the other $1,000. total $l?,5on. placed
Mike Ruwerman third on the list. He
is an able Aorseman, very successful
and POPULAR. but his aggregate race
winnings for years will not equal the
prircely sum oi this season.
He was very fortunate with the B.
ycar-olG pacing colt. Shakespeare, win
| ming the Horse breeders stake a.
Readvillc for pacing foals of 1904 and
the pacing division Of the Kentucky
futtirity for colts Of the same age
Stakes of large value for colts and
| unmarked horses are popular now. and
seem to be on the increase. trainer
getting a promising colt like General
Watts. Douglass or The Leading Lady.
or q truttcr like Hishball or Sonoma
Girl. will be able to stand high as 2
money winner. although he may not
have had any winning record for years.
A study of the list reveals theS" facts.
f.. +. Geers. who heads the list OF
| successful drivers for the past season.
has been among the leaders for years
He is a native of sunny Tennessee
and has been trainer since boyhood.
| 1t is now - years since he made his
appearance in this part of the country
and from that dime he has failed to rt-
turn but one or two seasons
That he is the master Of his craft is
attested by his uniform success.
| whether he is conducting a public
| stable or is employed by d single in
divielual
The late C. J. Hamlin Of the Nillalc
Farm. near Buffalo, ~ Y. recognized
his ability and employed him for years
until it was decided to give up the
breeding industry.
The present year he had large
stable. but nearly every horse was af-
fected with lameness.
| In spite of this severe handicap he
won money at every meeting through
the Grand Circuit. an honor enjoyed
by only ono other driver. Walter Cox
the famous campaigner from the tall
woods of New England.
| GeerS went To Readvillc with seven
crippled horses and won money with
each a feat that very few men in the
business ever could duplicate.
Dan Mace was the nearest approach
to the silent man and was known to- he
the most rcSourcefui i'll keeping lame
horse going of any man Of his day.
| GcerS' greatest money winner was
the bay gcIding HiGhhaIl. who won
$i9,050 The horse had showed two
miles in EOS in May and was sold to
Frank James of Memphis. Tenn. for
s175O0 the highest price ever paid for
an unworked or green gelding.
He was entered in all the large
stakes but developed a severe lameness
which lasted through the season and
was drawn from several races.
>The second highest winner was Mike
Bowerman. Mr. Bowerman WAS born
in Ohio nearly 20 years ago Of Dutch
parcntage He has been identified
with the trotting horses of Kentucky
for nearly 40 years.
| Third on this list is Lon Mcdonald.
| who two years ago. with the Williams
| stable of Boston. WAS the highest
winner Last year. owing to sickness
in his stable early in the season he
made but half a dozen starts and COM
parativcIy no money.
This year he has been very success
full He won races at Cleveland and
Buffalo with the thrc"-ycar- tilly
Bell Bird and the Hartford F'uturity
! with the gray colt Douglass. This
stake was worth $75oo t" the gray son
of Todd
Mr.. Mcdonald marked three PAGERS
better than los in winning races
Kruger. 2:nt I!idaIg". 2:o4ts. and
Laura Bellini, 2:0iM.
He was born in the northern part Of
| York state and raised by his uncla,
Grin Partridge, who was a man of his:l
| character
At one time he trained the Village
Farm horses and 1t was he who
brought out that sweet race mare,
Sadie Fogg. 2:06A. with whom. as B.
| year-old he won the Kentucky
| Futurity, a feat he duplicated in his
/ '.hinla hc a