Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-29
TINfEs-REPUBIICAN NARsHAILToWN IOWA MARCH 2a 1919

~, MAkCH ~, l8lS
among the white tops Of the Barnum,
Bailey. Cooper and Hutchinson cir
Gus which was making trip across
tho state. Both Bailey. who afterwards
owned and raced J. B. Thomas, Tony
Newell. and the beautiful mare
Florence, and Cooper, decided to pur-
| chase the Iowa trotter. Cooper Sc
cured the prize, the deal being closed
after banking hours and as in those
days 1t was customary for a circus to
pay for everything in cash, Cooper
went to the ticket wagon, drew $5,-
| 900 and exchanged it for the black
| trotter. John Curtin went home to
supper with the bundle Of bills under
his arm, and throwing it on the table
said: THAT is pretty fair price for
one horse to bring" At that time, Ed
was a lad eight years old and 1t looked
to him like all the money in the world.
Campaigned for Ten Years. TN
Cooper took Billy Barefoot to Phila-
delpha, where he was raced for the
next ten years and closed his career
with a rcord of 2:2Ss, made over Bel
mont part in 1873 in a race that Mike
Goodin won with Lady Crossin. In his
day, Billy Barefoot was started in
forty seven reported races Of which he
won eighteen, was second in four
teen, third in seven and fourth in two.
He defeated such old timers as Modoc
George A. Ayers, Sorrel Tom, Snow
Flake, Gray Chief. Lew Ives and
Clothesline, trotter that broke
Frank Hedric and Lem Ulman three
or four times, while he was in turn
defeated by Stewart Maloney. Ripton,
Little May, Grey Salem, Black Frank,
Carbolic and a few others. Chester in
his trotting and pacing record also
states that Gus Glidden rung him I'M
der the name of Nick Of Michigan ana
Indiana. in 1873. The returns, how
ever show that he got him mixed with
another horse, as at that time Billy
Barefoot was in John Curtins stable
in DEBORAH, Iowa This horse was,
however, started under the name or
Billy Barefoot and Nick in 1879, after
Mr.. Cooper sold him.
Sale Meant Encouragement.
The sale of Billy Barefoot for $1,000
made the trotters' boom in the vicinity
Of DEBORAH, and also encouraged the
Curtin family to remain in the BUSH
ness. 1t kept coming back year after
year with horses Of all kinds, colors
and descriptions so long as they could
race. 1t also prompted Edward to take
few flyers in the same direction,
and he has now been at it so long
that he does not know how to find his
way out. In his day, he has raced
enough horses to equip a wild west
show and while some OF them would
have been more at home there than
on a race track, the check list shows
that a lot of them made good the trot-
tiers including Look Sir Maid. 2:12H;
Peter Chinn, 2:12A; Vestalene. 2:14A:
Foreign Prince. 2:15A, and a bunch
Of over forty others. while such PAGERS
as Major Ong. 2:osh, Hal J.. 2:O5A,
Princess Margaret, 2:O6 " Len Medium
2:0SA, and Tally B., 2:osA. munche1
few bushels of oats in his barn.
Last year Ed Curtin grabbed the
end Of the rainbow when he dropped
into the Great Western circuit with
the mile tracks and played his high
card at Milwaukee At that meeting
Hal ] took the word VITA a field OF
eleven and looked on paper to have as
much chance as a feather in q smudge.
On the drst trip, Pointer Queen whiz-
zed by in 2:o6z, with the yellow
bird. Baxter Lou in the place. The
NEXT heat went to Loyal W.. in 2:04X,
Hal J, managing to finish second while
the northern wildnower, Peter Nash.
that doomed for day at Columbus.
was third. After that it was Hal j. all
the way. his fastest heat being finished
in 2:O5Z.