New-York tribune., 1918-06-02
By rank S. Cooke

Coming of new men into the Grand
the part Of some who have wholly or
partly abandoned the trotter for a
while are items of interest among
horsemen. generally. This year finds
a recruit who is apt to be a factor in
the proceedings if he gets a good start.
w. H. Foster, who is Mayor of Elkhart,
Ind, has a stable of five in training at
North Randall, and this is to be his
plunge into big line activities.
Mr.. Foster is at the head of big
manufacturing concern, reputed to be
in the millionaire set, and regards the
harness horse as the real medium of
sport. He raced a bit on local tracks,
then last year he jumped in with a
string OF four, winning number of
important events on Michigan, Ohio
and Indiana half-mle rings.
In the Foster stable are two PAGERS
that are apt to cut a figure anywhere.
They are South Bend Girl. 2:09A, by
Great Heart, and King Knight, 2:O8A
by Midnight At the early meetings
last summer the mare was inclined to
be fussy, but she had such superlative
u
and then arrive in ample time
Her narrowest escape was at Bay
City, where she did not beat the dis
tance flag more than a quarter of an
inch in the first heat, then came on and
was an easy fourth in the second,
scampering away with the third in
2:09A and rafting off the rest at her
convenience. The Bay City track is
slow one, showing what a burst she
had.
But for an accident after this South
Bend Girl would have been among the
big winners on the small tracks, and
as it was she won six, was second twice
and unplaced but once.
King Knight appeared to have speed
to burn, and now and then he was un-
covered, although some of his races
were rather suspicious affairs. His
record was taken on a mile track and
is not regarded as an indication of
whore he can step when they set him
in for keeps.
Another of the Foster PAGERS that
Grand, 2:12A. This son of Great
Heart came out in 1915 and won at a
number of fairs. Then in 1916 he
raped his knees so hard that he
proved disappointment. Last year
he worked much better, winning a fair
share of his eighteen starts. 1t is
likely that with wider turns Lee Grand
will not be as apt to interfere. and in
view Of what other Great Hearts have
done he has chance to become one
OF the fast class PAGERS of the year.
The lone trotter of the combination
is Nelly Alcantara, 2:13A, and in thir-
teen starts she always was in the
money, winning five. She is a good
gated mare and believed to be well
inside the 2:10 list in ability. The
fifth member of the lot is a green
pacing colt, Walter Pointer, by Elastic
Pointer, the horse that beat Pan Mi
chael IN the Chamber of Commerce
Stake in 1908.
1t is understood that the Foster
Stable will take rifle at the half
mile track game. then start with North
Randall and race at Kalamazoo and To-
ledo, where the horses also are staked
then on down the line if thew look
good enough.
Former United States Senator Josenb
W. Bailey, whose Fairland Farm. near
Lexington, was one Of the principal
trottlng nurseries in the day when
Prodigal was premier, is getting back
into the game good and strong. Last
winter he picked up number Of mares
and recently bought sixteen more from
Coldstreams Farms, all of them choice
and carrying the blood lines of peter
the Great, Bingen, Directum Spier Jav
McGregor, Todd, Axworthy and Others
1t is not announced just where SEN
ator Bailey is to establish his new