The Semi-weekly Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 1923-19??, 1933-04-18
Race Horse News
!, !, !, :. IS = {. y e9 4, = i = = s.
Observes Anniversary

'Oncle steve Tuillpsg Tie NedH ~
all harness reinsmen, celebrated his
.91st birthday on Easter Sunday, at
his home in Lebanon, Warren county
He is still hale and hearty and may
+ be seen almcst daily training his good
trotter, Frederick Mckinney, 2:03A
Sd the Lebanon track.
''Uncle Steve is just as familiar in
this city as he is at home, for he has
visited London so many times in the
past several years to train his horse
and watch him perform under the eX-
#pert guidance OF Doe McMillen, noted
London reinsman, that he calls tie
Madison county fair grounds here his
second home.
Although Uncle Steve" was born IN
March, 1872, he always observes Ease
Fer Sunday as his birthday, since he
was born on Easter 81 years ago. Last
year, his birthday was on Easter Sun
day, the first time, he states, that the
event was celebrated on his birthdate
since 1912.
With the harness horse racing sea
son just around the corner, no man
or woman in the country is mere in
terested or has more right 20 be in the
thick Of the racing game than this ine
old gentleman OF the driving tracks
All the romance Of the harness rae
+ ing world IS wrapped up in one bun
de in the form Of Uncle Steve, be
/ .feved TO IS .h1 Oldest eessva Iaoe
horse trainer, e1 aEa laiFaE ia the
universe.
For more thaa I5 years, steve Phil-
i lips has raced, trained and owned hal-
I ness race horses, riding mis- first high
wheeled bike race in 1866 and driving
/ his last mile in a race last year in a
handicap race at the Washington c. III,
Ohio fair. In this race, which he won,
/ the 90-year-old reinsnan exhibited the
same skill that made him once, the
most feared driver of the big time in
America.
"Uncle Steve" has always been fa-
nous harness race driver, bue he is
best known for his remarkable record
in 1879 when he stepped his noted
PAGER, Blind or Sleepy Tom, to world
record Of 2:1212 which he held for
two years, the race being driven at
t Chicago
The Ohio horseman secured posses
sion of his remarkable PAGES by pay
ing the fine Of two men who drove
the blind horse too fast on village
street and were nabbed.
Blind Tom was raced for two years
in Ohio and nearby states and then
stacked up against the best in the
country, being rated as an unknown
with an unknown driver.
With field of great horses, Phil
lips drove away from the bunch thai
sought to shut out the Ohio PAGES and
won in 2:12A He later took the blinc
racer from one end Of the easter
states to the other, winning the ma
jority of his races with ease, despit
all kinds of competition, both off an
on the tracks.
In those days it was five heats or
none and often the sixth heat had to
be raced to decide the winner 1t was
in such class that Blind Tom, guided
. BY the master hand of "Unele Steve,
won cut over all comers for two years
Phillips was offered $4,000 for the
. horse after the record at Chicago bat
! did not sell at that price, receiving &
! much larger sum later in the year.
. "Uncle Steve" will probably no
! drive in race this year, be says, buf
! his guiding hand will be shown in the
= races of his trotter, Frederick McKin
!. ney. He has been in the game so Ions
!, that race horses are just second ma
! ture to him, he says, and he neve
) misses a race that can be reached b.
]. motor in one day.
Prospect can't see you today