Evening journal., 1914-09-15
GEERS A fixture
IN HARNESS RACING
Veteran Driver 63 Years
Old and Still Going
Strong
IN 5000 RACES
IN THIRTY-SIX YEARS


than ride in the Grand Circuit races
He admitted this much in the course
Of an interview one day this sum
mer
Eyes. horse racing IS the most ex-
citing sport in the world said Geers,
but for the real thriller give me a
fox hunt. I believe there is more
pleasure to be obtained in chasing
the elusive little animals than in any
thing else Of which I know"
And there you have the opinion of
a man who has been Identified with
the harness game for nearly two
score years. Quite naturally. one
would expect such an old timer in
in the horse world to maintain firmly
that the sport he has followed for
so many years is the greatest OF them
Gll. But not Pop.
However. Pop is moi a traitor TO
his first love, the race track. He still
retains a warm spot i'm his heart for
the game that will know him as long
as he is able TO climb into a sulky,
else he would not be driving now
Pop is 63 years old but he doesn't
look it. His features are Drowned
with the accumulated tan of many
years spent i'm the open under hot
suns. His color is healthy and his
bearing the same His eye is clear
and calculating. and he appears to
be good for many years to come.
Asked pOint-blank just how much
longer he intended to drive. Pop an
swered in the drawl known by horse
men throughout the country: "Oh, I
don't know. If / keep on feeling as
fine as do now, l guess I'm good for
a long time; maybe ten years or more.
/ feel better right now than / did
many times when / was younger"
Geers has been driving and hand
ling horses for more than thirty-fve
years. In that time he has seen many
drivers come and go. He has seen
them become famous in a day, fash
along brilliantly for a time and fall
into obscurity. He has seen steady
| performers in their prime and decline.
! He has seen drivers at their best and
at their worst He has been able
, TO observe his own work carefully
and note the changes with the passing
years. Therefore. he is probably the
best judge of at what time a man Is
at his best in the business.
When interrOgated as to his opin-
ion along these lines he wrinkled his
brow in thought for a moment and
then said: "Well, I don't know. It
seems to me Il all depends on the
man himself I consider myself just
as good now, IL not better than at
] L.. NFut
now have more experience, and with
/ added experience comes better calcu-
lation Good judgment has won many
races, in fact easily as many as poor
judgment has lost, and that IS quite
a few. / do not believe that age has
( so much to do with a mans success
in the game as the experience and
the knowledge that comes of expert
ence."
Geers has won so many races in
his career that he declined TO even
approximate the number of his sue
cesses. He evaded entirely the ques-
ton of what his winnings in purses
have been in the thirty-five years OF
more he has been "up" saying hi
has never tried 20 figure out even fol
himself.
The veteran estimates that he ha:
been in about 5000 races since h
started to handle the reins. During
the last few years he has figured il
about seventy-five races a season
Ten years ago the critics had hin
slated for the scrap heap. Five year
ago his retirement was freely pre-
! dicted. Yet he is still i'm there yea
in and year out, plugging away ant
capturing his share Of the stakes
Verify, he is another brook that run
on forever.
This son Of the Southland is one O
the most popular heroes in the sport
ing world. Among the followers o
the sport of the kings" he is halle
as a wonder worker, as a miracle man
as the champion of champions in hi
line.
An instance OF the esteem in whic
he is held by his fellow men was fur
nished on August 12, during tn
Kalamazoo meet OF the Grand Circuit
when he was presented with a silve
cup by his admirers He was visibl
affected by this token of their appre
citation and plainly showed his embar
rassment. That day he won two @
the four events.
Geers is an institution. Withou
him the Grand Circuit meets eac
year would lack a large share of thei
. attraction. To say merely that h
would be missed would be to put
lightly. Without a doubt he is tn
most pointed out of all the perform
ers wherever he participates.
Geers was born in Lebanon. Tenn
January 2S, 1851. He drove his firs
race at a fair in Mobile in 1873. Year
ly since he has made pilgrimages ou
Of the South with his fine stables an
literally set the racing world on fir
with his deeds. He is going as wei