New-York tribune., 1918-01-13
Middle West
Now theC Centre
For Trottin9
Six Weeks of Grand Circuit
Events To Be Held
in Ohio
Bv Frank S. Cooke

SO Grand Circuit. The scene Of great
.. activity, which formerly centred In
-, East. has shifted to the Middle
West. and Ohio now leads by many
lorc,hs. No fewer than six of the
vccks ,il be spent on three of the
auckcyo State tracks, Columbus being
.so scene of three of them, Cleveland
q: two and Toledo Of one.
Michigan. that led in this particular
~ the days when Detroit gave two
meetings and Kalamazoo and Grand
Rapids one apiece, now is in the ruck
with hat single week. New York
State has two, the Poughkeepsie and
Syracuse meetings, and Kentucky has
double decker a. Lexington, while
Pennsylvania. Massachusetts, Connecti-
cut and Georgia join Michigan with a
sugle week.
In opening the Grand Circuit on July
S. which is week earlier than usual,
the stewards are getting nearer what
hss, been the ideal with many horse
men. Baseball, the ranking outdoor
sport. starts before the middle Of April
Ihoroushbrods are racing at that time
On the kentucky tracks. yet the trot-
ing horsemen have clung to the old
notion that the last part Of July was
carly enough for them, letting slip the
six weeks after the first of June, when
the weather almost invariably is con-
dlciye TO enjoyment in the open.
Three-Heat Plan
Some months ago 4 petition was cir
culated asking the Grand Circuit to
adopt the three-heat plan as the style
Of racing. 1t was signed by all Of the
leading mile track drivers and even
the boys who scull the hobblcd birds
over the two-lap tracks. Also, breed
ors and owners subscribed to it; in
fact, it was quite the most formidable
appeal of the sort ever presented
In the course Of events it came be-
fore the rules committee and natur-
ally went into the capacious pigeon
hole wherein are various other relics
OF insurgency, OF attempts to disturb
conditions which have existed with
but Slight modification for almost half
century. Had tie baseballers done
'he same thing when new angles pre-
scnted themselves friend McGraw
Burnside whiskers. flannel tennis trous-
Wit guide of the long ago.
One of tho problems which is vital
70 the harness sport is how to recruit
'hc ranks OF men who have been its
backbone. Gray hairs and bald heads
are IN a ma jority at trotting meetings.
.len Of mature and middle age have
dominated the box sections OF the
srandstaad and bought the auction
pool tickets. but they are answering
the call. The younger set has not
warmed UP to trot1ing because Of the
tens, the lack of unity and snap.
The old three in five heat plan which
ended with the survival of the fittest
does not appeal outside of the elect,
which includes the race track man
ayers, who find that when they con-
duct the sport on these lines they get
more for their betting privileges. How
ever. Cleveland makes money with
,hree-heat plan racing, has the liveliest
meeting OF all, yet the others are fear
iu about taking chance.
Death of Castle
Among turf aotables who recently
nave crossed the great divide there was
hone in the class with the late George
Castle, of Chicago. Mr.. Castle was a
millionaire, owned a number of prot
table theatres aud had various sources
Of income, yet for many years he has
devoted most OF his time to trottcrs
and PAGERS. And owing to the charac-
ter Of some of these mills which
ground out the whcrewith the Castle
entourage was familiarly known as the
"ten-twenty and thirty stable" from
the tracks of the Northwest to those Of
the sunny South
TWO old timers contributed much to
the satisfaction OF this sportsman. One
Of them was the black PAGER William
Aac, 2:05'2, which he raced for many
!ears, beating many of the best horses
IN the land and lowering the records
Of numerous county fair tracks An
other, and perhaps the heaGiiner, was
Inc trotter Gold Standard, 2:l1$4, that
won no less than seventy-five races for
nm and was uEplaced but eleven times
N l42 starts.
Shrewd business man that he was, it
'ould be Interesting to look over the
Ncger which contains his racing opera
IONS II such book ever were kept by
lt' castle. One week you would find
nm racing for $500 purses at Alpena,
M.ch; the next would see him in the
u mex OF the ray at Canal Dover, Ohio;
men he would bob up at Malone, \. y,
and from there he would scoot 10 Rich
ppond, pos, Va, then hustle to Racine, Wis.
nul II was fun for him, sort of q
'@1eVy valNe, so The cost did not count
tommy Murphy, the astutc trainer,
Ino holcs forth at Poughkeepsie, drove
m'e mare June, 2:11 q, by Belini, the
,"os. successful! stallion owned in the
'1,n v',Nnifons Of New York for many years,
ca.i m'.i put IN many hours this year edu-
sSss.ng some OF the get of that mare
l.uFphy owned June at one time and
b,s' her to Peter the Great. then sold
WIN. 1' 9elore the appearance of the colt.
'H,ch y. was named Peter June.
ro ~ was not his luck to have that
Soa Syounester, which was the fastest two
ns s"o-oid q o., stallion of 1917 with g record
~ 11'V' Y, also he has the distinction
having been sold for the largest
or"ouhe or OF any of his age, for his
n%Suefs' Mrs. Frank G.. Jones. Of Mem
phn, pbf, and Mrs. George ". Elkns. of
'r""aoeiphia, paid $l7,500 for him dur
" the last Hartford meeting.
Nv NsuIe recently was sold by the late
pa,, n,arkness's Walnut Hall Farm to
rs 1sul kuhn, of Indianapolis. who bought
me me Harvester, 2:O1, last year. In fhe
Nsn.ere Naa were included June's yearling by
woani;. mat won futurity, and her
nr"an,lhg ny San Francisco. June also
S.Io SS,1auced Harvest Lad, that worked in
WIZ WIZ as a twoyear-old for Murphy
Tho regarded him as highly as he did
'v v,;., Mea! Lady at that time. She now
snr ~tn foal by San Francisco and this
vps.e ing VIII be mated with The Har-