New-York tribune., 1918-04-21
Popular Reinsman Will Be
Busy on the Grand
Circuit
By Frank S. Cooke

members of the Big Six when racing
time comes.
Mcdonald is an Eastern man, who
started out on the New York State half
mile tracks and worked his way up to
the top, having been a feature of big
line racing for manyyears. What he did
with Sadie Mac, Miss Stokes and others
Contributed to his fame both as train
er and driver, and his victory in the
$4,000 Derby at Readville with Allen
Winter hardly will be forgotten.
After wintering at many places in
both the North and South, Mcdonald
finally picked Indianapolis as the ideal
spot, and for some years has put in
the closed season and done his pre-
paratory work on the Indiana State
Fair Grounds, where the equipment is
second to none.
OF the twenty horses now in the
Mcdonald Stable-and there will be
many recruits in the next month-the
headliner is the clever trotter Early
Dreams, 2:O4A, the leading money win
ner last year. Mcdonald is entitled. to
lot of credit for what he did to this
gelding, for Early Dreams had been lib
orally sampled by number OF train
ers. After winning lot of half mile
track races he went to Geers, but dld
not come up to expectations. so he
made another trip to the small ovals
and then to Mcdonald. Last year he
beat every good horse in his class,
won S22,1S5 and put Mcdonald third in
the list of winning drivers.
This summer will find Early Dreams
in the free-for-all trots against Mabel
Trask and St. Frisco, and with any i'm
rrovement on his part will make thae
pair step to their limit.
Mcdonald Colts Succeed
Mcdonald has been very successful
with colts, due both to his skill IN
hanging them up and driving them and
his genial disposition, for he is q
man who does not let his temper
take hold of the bit and scamper off
with him. About dozen of the stable
are two-year-olds and three -year-olds
and are literally sprinkled through the
entries at Toledo and other tracks; also
many of them are rated as high class
Futurity prospects.
Among the three-year-o Cold
stream, by j. Malcolm Forbes, that
took mark of 2:11A last year, stands
out as the most likely. Others are
three by the former champion STALL
2:24A; Harvest Hope, 2:25. and Hay
worth; Sail On, by Mainshcet, and
George Watts, by General Watts.
The star of the two-year- -olds is
Bessie Worthy, that was driven by
| Mcdonald to yearling record of
2:261a last year. Then there are
Neptune Boy, by Mainleaf; Duncan
Watts, by General Watts, and an own
brother to Eulabel, 2:09A, that died
just when reaching for turf honors.
McDonald's star PAGER of last year,
Murphy stable at Poughkeepsie. There
are only a couple of PAGERS in his out
| tit-Baymar, 2:051a, and Lady Fostina,
which last year as three-year-old
did mile in 2:oSA. While Mcdonald
has had some clever PAGERS at odd
times, ne never leaned in that direc-
tion, and positively refuses to train
or drive one that wears the neither
harness. In this stand he is like Geers;
but Murphy, Cox. Valentine and Nc
Mahon don't care if they wear hobbies,
the harnessmaker, so long as they can
scoot by the other fellow and turn the
pool tickets into collateral.
From his quarters comes word that
Mcdonald will stay at indianapolis
until we'll in June, then ship to North
/ Randall to acclimate his horses in tine
for the opening proceedings.
Al Thomas Good Displayer
When it comes to showing a horse
to the buyers assembled around the
auction stand nobody has it on AL
Thomas. For many years his work liz
this particular caught the eye of the
| III, 1%L I.
vendues in Madison Square Garden.
Thomas is a thorough horseman and
can train and drive one with the next
chap, although he does not figure in
the big meetings as rule.
Last year Thomas had couple of
wonderful colts out in the Western belt.
Noble Aubrey, 2:1211, grandson of
Peter the Great, proved to be the fastest
trotting gelding on a half-mile track;
of his age. He started with victory
at Kcarney, Neb., on June / and
| followed it with numerous wins. Out
Of seventeen races he was first in ten,
second in four, third in one, divided
second and third in one and was once
fourth, SO he was never outside of the
money.
Thomas not only educated and drove
this colt, but bred him as we'll, and at
this time Noble Aubrey looks like one
of the good prospects for big events in
the Great Western Circuit
The other one that added to the fame
of the Western driver is the filly Alta
Donovan, by Justice Brooke out Of Belle
Bunker, dam of the Eastern trotter Cen
eral French, 2:10A. Alta Donovan won
SIX out Of her seven starts among the
| two -yearolds, and her record of 2:19
on half-mile track in June was one
OF the notable performances of the
year.
Fast Trotter in West
All of the colt speed is not corralled
in the East, for the veteran ]. B.
Chandler has an unusual trottcr in Miss
Dewey Watts that took a two-year-old
record of 2:07A. She was not quite
up to holding her own with Nella Dill
lon and Peter June last season. but
the rail birds at Indianapolis think she
will be factor in the rich three-vear-
old stakes in which she races this sea
son.
Since it's adoption by the men of
wealth whose racing operations are un-
der the name Pastime Stable. Thorn
asyllle, Ga, has become the fashion
able training camp Of the South. Thir-
/ ty horses have been quartered there
and have advanced sufficiently in train
ing so that in another month they will
migrate to Lexington for a short stay
then'continue to North Randall.
W. j. Andrews, who has been bright
light on the turf since his duys with