The Detroit times., 1909-07-28
POINTED SIX YEARS
FOR c. OF C.,
GANO COPS
Unique Story of Great Little PAGER
That Came Into His Own by
Three Swell Spirits
Yesterday.
Star Patchen Always First Into the
Stretch, But Gano Ever in Com
mand at Draw-Gate.
BY PAUL II. sRusKE.

home alone. AFTER racing tHS S'N"
Star Paichen into the ground at lh5
drawgate. and won the third and
final neat OF the Chamber of Com
merce, there occurred the elimination
cf a plan which had been SIX lohS
years in incubation.
Ever since the little son OF Gam5c
To Wilkes first saw light down N heh-
lucky ami his first faterins si2pS
were taken On the pace, he was des'
tined with more or less dehnltenesS'
tor the {. of c.
That IS the way horsemen plan Tor
turf classics. It's long wait ana
only in few cases rs II a succfSslPl
one Bnt che success balances lot
OF failures
The colt wasn't raced, but his train
ing was taken up at an carry age.
ore of the scores OF noted equine
educators at that noteworthy school
( o. learning situated al Lexington
+ fused with him, experimental Win
\ his shoes, rugged him in twenty diner
ent ways. found the right one, ana
taught him his daily lesson for fcur
years He made speed rapidly. snow
ed that he had a good head. got faster
right along and, in the summer of
1907 had the railbirds chattering by
repeated workouts considerably bet
ter than 2:l0.
Time To Show Goods.
Il was time u unload. The annual
horse auction that takes place IN
Lexington during Kentuckys famous
trots saw a coierie OF horsemen at the
\ track one morning. They had come
with commissions OF various size, pre-
pared TO make offers for the sensa-
tional PAGER. il he showed them the
stun. Before that assembled knot or
experts. every one of whom had a
xstch in his hand, George Gano paced
mile In 2:04 3-4 ana repeated in al
most the same notch. Walter Cox
& '.Iong Shot" they call him down Ia
New England-;urned up as the buyer
He had a wealthy patron named
Greenough from Massachusetts who
wanted fast. norecord PAGER Gano
was the best in sight. The Kentuck-
ian who had trained the colt got So
500 for his pains
The Chamber of Commerce OF 1908
was Gano's original destination and
he was duly entered. But 1908 proved
an unlucky year for the green PAGERS
in general Ii saw the advent in that
class OF two OF the fastest horses that
ever raced--The Eel and Minor Heir.
Each was pacing at dizzy clip before
the Grand Circuit opened here. Cox
and Mr.. Greenough conferred. They
decided not TO start Gano in the stake
race and their decision meant that
George Gano would be after the stake
I'm 1909.
BY this ii should not be inferred that
Y he was not to be raced, however. He
was started at every meeting on the
Grand Circuit At Detroit he COM
peted in the 2:07 pacing stake. He
didn't win, but there were those VINO
maintained that the reason he somer-
seulted In the stretch in the final heat
was because his driver didn't dare to
give him his head when he himself
wanted to cut loose and show the mob
that he was really the monarch OF the
bunch.
Always Second to The Eel.
But Gano got wise. He learned to
let his driver place him and to sprint
only when called on. AT Poughkeep-
sic he was only few feet back OF
(. The Eel when the Canadian took his
\ record of 1902 Ia. He was winning
second moneys to the Canadian right
along. But he was never allowed 20
y win a heat in fast time. When the
season closed he was still eligible to
the c. OF c. and looked sure winner,
six months before the race.
Mr.. Greenough got nervous. Gano,
with his ability and his slow record
was too much OF risk. IL became
known that the horse was for sale.
Just as the season closed IL was an
nounced that the PAGER had changed
hands again. this time the purchaser
being wealthy New Yorker. Tinman
by name, who gave up $l2,500 for
Cano II report Is to be credited. Mr..
Tfnman turned the horse over to Tom
y my Murphy and again he was staked
all the way down the line.
Simply a Stretch Demon.
\ OF course, the c. OF c. was the big
race Murphy was after. Ii took him
one race to get used to Gano's ways
or else to teach the PAGER that some
a thing aside from second money was
now his goal At Terre Haute ne
\ was beaten by Star Patchen to the
astonishment of the turf world. AT
Windsor he came into his own and the
win there transformed the little PAGER
4 into a veritable stretch demon.
When he took the word at the FAIR
Grounds yesterday he was ready. The
time. the place and the horse-that
was the situation, and Gano brought
home the money in perhaps the most
impressive win ever scored In q
Chamber OF Commerce.
II made absolutely no difference 10