The New York herald., 1921-01-16
HALF MILE TRACKS
SCHOOL FOR DRIVERS
All Noted Reinsmen Of Grand
Circuit Began Their Careers
on Two Lap Rings.

While the fastest trotters each year
are racing on the mile tracks thou
sand drivers are stirring up the dust
on the half-mile rings located in almost
every town in North America. Racing
starts there with the coming of the
leaves and continues until the cold
weather calls a halt.
At the first tap of the bell in the
north country. McGirr. Keener and their
associates are out for the money. AS
the season. wanes, Stiles, Russell and
others are busy in Georgia and Alabama
All the leading reinsmen began on the
half-mile tracks. Murphy made num-
Der OF trips TO the fairs before he ap-
peared on the larger tracks with Hetty
G.. and Rudy Kipp. Cox rubbed the hub
boards of almost all the double ovals
in New England before he heard the
bell on the mile tracks. Geers sfted a
lot of sand on the southern tracks be-
fore. he appeared in the Grand Circuit
with Alice West.
At present there are a few drivers
teetering between the two. OF these the
most successful are Stokes. Edman
Erslline. Palm, Owens and Vic Fleming
Last year Edman raced on the mile
tracks after the Grand Circuit opened
Prior to that he was busy on the Ohio
half-mie rings with Peter l.. and
Tootsie Toise. Their showing helped to
run his winning horses up to forty-four
His other winners We're Jay Brook.
CONT Miss Montgomery and the two
year-old Favonian. This colt won seven
out of thirteen starts in eleven consec-
utive weeks. Palm was busy with Eva
Able. Calgary Earl, Verle Patchen, Orc
Direct and Kokomo George. They were
in fast classes on both tracks.
Aron Mckinney was the star of Frs
kine's stable. He won eight races with
the PAGER Tango and displayed Grey
worthy so cleverly that Sanford Small
purchased him. Roy Owens is a Ne
braska product. He won thirty races.
Vic Fleming is a Canadian reinsman.
Last year he was on the mile tracks
with Louie Grattan. Princess Mary.
Mightell, Baroness Hanover and Lu
Todd Dompier is another Canadian that
was out with q clever horse. His trip
with Phil Patch took him from Win
npeg to Lexington. He won twelve out
of twenty starts.
The Ohio reinsman Harry Stokes left
his headquarters in May with Signal
Boy. Frank Little, Golden Spier and
J. L. Worthy. He closed the season at
Lexington and Atlanta, where he won
with the Murphy horses. Last year
Stokes, gave seven trotters and six
PAGERS marks in the 10 list. The lot
included Peter Manning, Arion Guy,
Trampsafe and Signal Peter.
Harry Brusie and Tommy Berry were
the most successful half-milers in 1920.
Each won forty-five races. Minor Hal
and Bernie Hayt were the top liners
in the Yankee stable. The former won
Zine races and the Hayt horse eight.
Berry made his regular trip to Ohio,
coming back through Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and New England. He
started in one hundred and thirteen
races, Of which Teddy Grattan won
eleven, Little Peter nine. George Watts
seven and Herman Stokes six.
Eddie Rowe is an. example, of how
n couple of clever horses can boost
driver. In 1914 he brought out Doc
tor G. In ten weeks he won seven
races and two seconds with this gelding
and sold him. Baronatta came to him
as a trotter. Eddie shifted him to a
pace. From that date Baronatta was
always in the money. Rowe won with
him in 2:07H over the half-mile
tracks.
OF the young half-milers, few have
been more successful than Roy Lines
of Laporte, Ind, and Charles Dean. Jr,
of Palatine. III. In 1920 Lines started
in eighty races. OF which he won twenty
nine. Dean started in thirty-nine races.
Of which he won twenty-six.
When Bill Shares was sold for S25,000
few knew that his driver. Peter Carroll
had been racing horses for almost half
a century. He started in Nova Scotia
in 1882. Many of the leading Mara
time Province performers passed..
through his hands The list includes
Minnie Gray. Alice A., Frank Patch and
Walter II.
Trotters and PAGERS that can race In
2 10 over a half-mife track have a
chance in any company. w. r. Fleming
showed this last year with Mile Irwin.
She won five out Of thirteen starts on the
mile tracks and finished second in four.
c. T.. Pitman will appear on the mile
track this year. He has been a busy
half-miler In 1920 he made ninety-five
starts of which he won thlrty-two. Mary
Coburn was his best. She picked up nine
hrsts. while he also caught the Judges
eye with Belvue. Kenneth B., Blitzie.
Northern Direct and Sunnash.
For number of years Maine has
been sending. out clever drivers. It led
off with Dustin, Bither, Woodbury. and
Palmer. To-day Pottle, Nevers. Fox and
johnson carry the Pine Tree label Fox
has appeared regularly at the pay win
dow since he brought out Gloria. His
Attest representatives include Carnathan,
Frank Dewey. May Bird and Alfred
King. The manner in which Johnson
landed Wilgus. James Albert and Belle