Although I believe that
the sport of harness racing is required to make a significant transformation to
change the course of its future, a look back to its gloried past is also
necessary to remind one of how great it was and
can be.
If you have been a faithful
reader of this blog over the past couple of months, you have probably come to
realize that I have an avid interest in the history of harness racing in New
Brunswick, especially in Fredericton and Woodstock.
This year commemorates
the 50th anniversary of Meadow Skipper’s historical 1:55.1 world
record performance at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky.
Earle Avery, the
legendary New Brunswick horseman from Woodstock, was the trainer-driver of
Meadow Skipper.
Avery is a member of
the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, the Living Hall of Fame of the Trotter
in Goshen, NY and the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.
Thanks to the
generosity of the late horseman’s family, I have been granted access to the personal collections and archives of Earle Avery. It is a treasure trove full of pictures,
historical news clippings and memorabilia that was maintained by his devoted
wife throughout his career.
Periodically, over the
next few weeks and months, I will be sharing some of this collection through
the blog and on Facebook. I will also make
available some newspaper stories on Avery and Meadow Skipper that you will
enjoy reading and reflecting back upon.
In addition, please
visit Fredericton Raceway 125 on Facebook where I will also be posting some of Avery’s
historical photos and memorabilia. Just
click on the link here and hit the
LIKE button.
It’s a great way to
remember New Brunswick people and horses from the glory days of harness racing.
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| EARLE AVERY with GUN RUNNER after winning the Scotland Trot at Yonkers Raceway in 1968 | . |
* * * * *
Mike Stevenson is not
only one of Maritime harness racing’s most talented horsemen but is also one of
its nicest and most well-liked. So, it
was no surprise that the interview with him, that was posted last week in this
space was, by far and away, the most popular yet of all of the blog posts. It was very well-received in Prince Edward
Island and down through the New England states and Florida, where Mike has
spent much of his career. Since last
week, there have been over 2,000 hits.
The local newspaper, The
Daily Gleaner, plans to run the interview in a future edition and the Saint
John newspaper, the Telegraph-Journal, might as well.
The Daily Gleaner has
indicated that the four-part series on the history of Fredericton Raceway drew much
positive feedback and have expressed an interest in publishing more about the storied
past of harness racing in Fredericton and its personalities.
* * * * *
Speaking of the storied
past, some other blogs that you can expect to see over the next few weeks and
months include the aforementioned Earle Avery and a look at his harness racing
career with an emphasis on his successful relationship with Norman Woolworth
and Clearview Farms.
With the 45th
anniversary of Connell Park Raceway opening in Woodstock, we will look at the
history of harness racing in New Brunswick’s first incorporated town.
For example, did you
know that the famous Island Park racetrack, that was located in the middle of
the Saint John River between Woodstock and Grafton, was not the first harness racing track in Woodstock?
 | |
| ISLAND PARK |
There were two other racetracks prior to that one opening in 1919. Find out where they were and their history in a future blog.
As well, we will take a
look at other historical racetracks in New Brunswick that no longer exist and
their tracks records.
There will be stories
on the late Bill Quigg and his contribution to harness racing in Fredericton as
well as a look at the career of W. Bert Lint in the 1920’s, when harness racing
in Fredericton and “community-owned” horses were at their peak in
popularity.
Lint, a local hotel
operator, city promoter and very much an avid amateur harness racing driver,
campaigned his own free-for-aller Roy Volo and set a world record with another,
Chesley H Searcey, one of those “community-owned” horses.
* * * * *
Another ardent supporter of New Brunswick’s
harness racing history, Patrick Eastwood of Saint John, has agreed to be the
guest writer for The Fredericton Scene blog next weekend and he will take a
look at the career of one of New Brunswick’s greatest horses from the 1970’s,
Power Baron. Patrick’s keen insight and
statistical collection has been a great asset to the blog and I am hopeful we can
look forward to more written contributions in the future.
* * * * *
For more historical data, pictures and stories please LIKE
Fredericton Raceway 125 on Facebook.
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