Smyrna times., 1920-06-02
NOTED HORSE RAISED NJ
DELAWARE DIES OF OLD AGE
"BEDSWORTH, JR.,' A FAvOR1rr
WITH HORSEMEN IN STATE
Died on the Bell Farm near Cboa.o-
town Saturday, Aged PA
Great Horse

, Great Horse
Bedsworth, Jr., probably the great
est race horse ever raised aroun,
Chestertown, Nd, and one of n,
greatest ever bred in the Unite,
States, died at the home of his ovno,
William A. Bell, on the outskirts Of
CheStertown, on Saturday, aged about
"a years.
The history of this great horse
reads like romance. Bred of hmm
bic parentage, so far as his dan, is
concerned, though his sire was old
Bedsworth, he was foaled on the Roll
farm, at Chestertown, and had bis
first training there. His first race
was at the Colchester fair, where be
simply toyed with a large field of
Well-known horses, and so great was
his speed that his owner decided 10
place him in the care of a comnetan+
trainer, and turned him over 10 VIII
ham b. Biggs, of Middletown. a we'll
known Delaware trainer who was at
that time stationed at Greenwood. Mr.
Blggs developed Bedsworth into the
greatest race horse of his time, and
mas stated on numerous occasions that
he really did not know the limit of The
horses speed. He had been timed in
workouts on the old Greenwood track
at two-minute and better clip. and
when he was ready for racing Mr..
Blggs suggested to his owner that he
be entered in the slow classes on the
Grand Circuit.
One of the most memorable earlv
races in which Bedsworth showed his
nerve was at Belmont Park, Philadel-
phla, when he and the famous Hettie |
Green, the unbeatable mare in Tom
my Murphy's stable, hitched up for
the greatest speed contest seen in that
historic course for years. Odds were
heavy on the Murphy entry, but Beds
worth had the speed and won the race
in straight heats, and fastest time be-.
ing 2J9A.
Shortly after this great race ]. C.
Mccoy, of Kirkwood, Del, leased the
horse from Mr.. Bell, and staked him
heavily down the Grand Circuit dur
ing the season of 1912. 1t was at the
Providence meeting that Bedsworth
made one of the geratest killings for
Mr.. Mccoy, ever known in race his
tory, for he not only outclassed a
large field of the Grand Circuit stars,
but made his present record of 2O61A,
and is reported to have cleaned up
like $4,000 for Mr.. Nc
Coy and his friend.
Bedsworth went wrong after this
race and was retired to the stud at
MS owners farm, and he is the sire of
some of the fastest PAGERS in the
State. Some time after the Provi-
lence meet, Mr.. Bell Sold Bedsworth,
Jr, to an admirer of the horse in
for $500, who kept him
several years and then traded him
back to Mr.. Bell for a sorrell mare by
Bedsworth and $500. During all these
years Bedsworth, Jr., has BEEN paying
ior his owners fine farm on the out
skirts of Chestertown and today Mr..
Bell owes a great part of his comfort
lble financial condition to the work of
his great horse.
Bedsworth, Jr., for years held the
worlds record for the fastest three
leats in race for stations over a
lalf-mile track, having won one of the
greatest rces ever pulled off on the
Ientlemen's Driving Park track in
Baltimore, when he won race in
hree straight heats, his competitors
'eing the game mare Efie Powers and
he great Sam Rysdick of Massachu-
etts, the time of the three heats be-
ng 2.O8H, 2.OS12 and 2.O9A. After
his race Bedswo1th retired to the
tud, and had lived in luxury on his
wners farm until the day of his
cath.