Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1910-08-04
BY WALTER E. ERLER.
'THEN. at the mid-winter sale at
4 Madison Square Garden in jan


xXTHEN. at the mid-winter sale at
" Madison Square Garden in jan
uary, 1905. August Uihlein (the
millionaire brewer of Milvaukee), paid
$4,000 for practically unbroken 3-year-
old colt, many of the supposedly wise-
acres were not backward In expressing
the opinion that the Milwaukee mill
lionaire had purchased what Thomas
W. Lawson would term 'highly pol
ished gold brick
The colt was a superb individual,
highly bred, and showed an abundance
of natural speed at the halter, but had
never been trained a day In his life.
The price looked high There was more
criticism when it was announced by
Mr.. Uihlein that the colt would be sent
to the Geers stable at Memphis, to be
prepared for his futurity engagements.
Mr. Geers was all right with aged
horses, the critics argued, but he would
not be successful with colt, citing the
fact that he had never won any of the
big futurities.
Called the Harvester.
The colt was called The Harvester,
and in the light of his later perform
ances never was horse more appro-
priately named. The horse was brought
along slowly by Mr.. Geers, and at De-
| troit that year. 1908, he was let down
| for mile in 2:161s, last quarter in 31is
seconds. From this time on, every man
/ connected with the Geers stable swore
| by the son of Walnut Hall. The old
master himself smiled In satisfied way
! whenever the colt was mentioned. He
had the making of champion, and
| Geers was not slow to recognize the
| fact.
On the morning of the great Ameri-
| can derby at Readville, Mr.. Geers again
asked the question of The Harvester
and the colt responded with a mile in
l2:121a, and, as in his previous miles, was
not all out at the finish At Hartford
he marched in 2:11K, and everybody
who saw him work made up their minds
at once that he was of real futurity
| caliAre.
First Engagement.
His first engagement was in the stake
+, for 3-year -olds at Syracuse. Here he
met high class bunch of youngsters
among the number such good ones as
Thistle Doune and Electric Todd. The
Harvester was In front all the way in
each heat, and won in 2:10A and 2:11A,
in such an easy manner as to convince
| close observers that mile in 2:09 was
we'll within his capabilities. The real
! test of the great colt came the next
week at Columbus where he met Justo,
| who had taken a record of 2;10A early
| in the season; The Leading Lady, win
/ ner of the horse breeders futurity, and
several other fast ones. For the first
| time in his career The Harvester was
| extended, defeating The Leading Lady
| in the first heat in q close finish in
2.09l4, but came back and won the sec
| ond heat easily in the same time. The
! following week he experienced no diff
Guilty in defeating practically the same
| field for the horse review stake In 2:101a,
| 2:11A and 2:11. The f1nal start of this
| sterling colt was in the rich Kentucky
| futurity the most valuable harness
| horse stake of the year, barring, the
| handicap at Readville. Here it was
| practically the same field, and also the
same story, for the son of Walnut Hall
! and Notelet was never In danger at any
/ stage of the race which he won In
straight heats in 2:091s, 2:1oA and
| 2:05%. The final heat was the fastest
! third heat ever trotted by 3-year-
| old.
This was the last appearance that
season OF The Harvester in race. He
was entered in the Kentucky stake the
second week of the Lexington meeting,
| but 1t was thought best not to start
him and take a chance of marking him
out of the 209 class
Good judges of form, however were
| of the opinion that he could have
equaled or beaten the worlds record OF
| 2:06%, made by General Watts, had ne
been started to see how fast he could
really go during the season of 1909
The Harvester up to his last race at
Lexington, when he was taken sick
won every start, a record of 2:06A, and
s1o54S worth of legal tender. During
the season he was admirably placed
and outclassed all his fields. His
drivers policy was just to win, and
when he retired for the season his
speed was still an unknown quantity
but all his admirers believed that he
had the stallion record at his mercy
He won the 200 trot at Detroit In
straight heats in 2:08A and 209A. Al
| Cleveland he won In the same class In
2:0S& and 2:06A. He was again ir
front at Buffalo, winning the same
class in four heats in 20SA, 2;10h, 2:1.
and 2,111a. with an unusually strong
field behind him. He won the $40, ,00t
Charter Oak stake for 2:09 trotters II
2:07A and 2:09, after being second tC
the gray stallion, Bob Douglass, in the
first heat In 2;06A.
At Syracuse The Harvester had ar
easy victory of straight heats in 2;09A
2:1Ok and 2;0sN, with Genteel II. sec
ond in each heat. He started in the
2:0S class at Lexington and won two
heats in 2:O91s and 2:07h, was sixth IL