The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-12-08
First Horse Races in
Bamberg for Years

The first horse races held in BAN
berg for many years we're successful
ly staged at the local race track last
Thursday. The races were we'll con-
Quoted, sorle good trotters and pac-
ers were On the programme, and
there were many thrills and some
aexciting heats. There was a large
crowd out and the races were thor
oughly enjoyed and will in all prob
ability be made a permanent feature
of the fair. All entries were either
Bamberg county animals or from this
immediate vicinity. The hired band
was on hand and furnished music be-
tween the races. J. J. Smoak, the
we'll known horse man. had charge OF
things and the situation was spiend-
idly handled.
Numbers of years ago Bamberg
was quite little trotting center and
some interesting races were trotted
here on the very track used Thurs
day which is still in fine condition.
A local admirer of fast horses owned
a number of fine trotters in those
good old days and many fast marks
were made by them right here while
training for their turns on the grand
circuit, thus helping to earn for
Bamberg the Kentucky reputation of
having fast horses and beautiful Wo-
men. Some of those famous animals
are well remembered here now,
among them being Bad News, JEFF
McGregor, Atlanta Girl and others.
Stables were erected On the race
track grounds then and some nation
ally famous veteran trainers brought
great strings of celebrated trotters
and PAGERS to Bamberg for their
training seasons, and this track was
awarded thus considerable promin-
ence and advertising and was highly
commended by the trainers as being
composed of certain kind of soil
seldom found and peculiarly adapted
to trotting and pacing conditions.
Horse races are a great sport when
properly conducted on the right
plane and it is refreshing that the
sport is to be revived in Bamberg.
The negroes also had some races on
their day of the fair. but they were
more for fun and Amusement than
for sport.
= The best time for any mile made
Thursday was 2.25 fat, made by
Allen S, a big sorrel PAGER owned
and driven by Grover Edgeman, a
young man from Oraageburg county.
None of the horses had been trained
for these races, and most of them
were taken right out of the ploWs
5or off the farm. But they had prac-
tically all raced in the days of their
prime and easily demonstrated the
fact THAT they still knew how and
were rearing to go. There were three
races and one heat Of another race
was trotted by three horses owned
by. negroes and driven by negroes.
This heat was won by Henry Hart
zog's horse driven by Sam Barbee,
time 2.40.
The first race was won by Allen S
in two straight heats, time 2.35 and
2.25 respectively: His competitors
were black mare driven by J. M.
Kinard, mighty smooth PAGER, but
out of her class, and Razz Pendle-
ton, the big bay driven by J. IA. Bam-
berg. Razz has record of I'll and
really appeared to be the fastest
thing on the track at all If he could
have only realized that they were
trotting and not running races. With
good handling Allen s could probably
have made a mark of 2.1S that day
if he had been pushed. One of the
prettiest races was with J. l.. Wilkes
sdriving his sorrel, Twinkle Star, H.
HI. Crum driving Uncle Sam, and j.
J. Smoak driving the black mare,
Bessie Bell, now owned by j. B.
Black, Jr., of this city. The first
heat was travelled in 2.S4, being won
by Bessie Bell barely nosing out
Twinkle Star But by unusually
creditable driving Mr.. Wilkes brought
Twinkle Star under the wire in the
lead on the two final heats, thus
winning the race, his time being 2.33
and 2.27 respectively. Twinkle Star
trotted the first half mile of the final
heat in 1.10, the fastest Of the day.
J. J. Smoak was the winning driver
in the last race over H. H. Crum
driving his own horse while Mr..
Smoak drove George W. Binnaker's
horse from Orangeburg county. Mr..
'Crum won one heat. Their times
were 2.44 and 2.4S. The races were
wound up by Addie Abbott, the bay