Earle Avery preview

Prince Edward Island native, Joe O’Brien, has been widely recognized as one of the most distinguished all-round horsemen of the 20^thcentury, with the national awards being held in his honor every year.   Canadian horse people from across the country covet an O’Brien Award as a sign of excellence in the industry.

O’Brien’s career in harness racing spanned over fifty years from P.E.I. to the United States and his driving prowess was of legendary status.  He also managed a barn of outstanding horses that left their mark on the sport.

New Brunswick’s Earle Avery’s life in harness racing was similar to that of O’Brien’s and their career paths and achievements were comparable in many ways.

Both O’Brien and Avery were born and raised in the Maritimes; introduced to horses at a young age and, as teenagers, were already honing their driving expertise on the racetrack against seasoned horsemen.

After developing their skills in the Maritimes for a number of years, both O’Brien and Avery left home to launch their careers in harness racing in the more lucrative American states, though it should be noted that O’Brien made the move in 1935, at the age of 18, while Avery waited until he was 54 years old, in 1948.

Nevertheless, both established themselves as accomplished horsemen and enjoyed much success with numerous stake wins and world championship horses in their stables.  O’Brien became associated with the legendary trotters Fresh Yankee and Armbro Flight, among many others, and Avery is best known for campaigning Meadow Skipper, a world champion and, arguably, the greatest pacing sire of all time.

Also, both O’Brien and Avery have won over 4,000 races though documentation for Avery is questioned because the United States Trotting Association only began recording wins in 1939, twenty years after he began his driving career.

Their post-career accolades and honors had them both inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Fall of Fame, the Living Hall of Fame of the Trotter in Goshen, NY and their respective provincial Sports Hall of Fames.

The New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame waived the normal five-year waiting period after retirement for Avery because of his accomplishments.

    

He was the first member of the harness racing fraternity ever inducted into the Hall in 1976 and was followed later by Rufin Barrieau (1980), who went to work for Avery in 1957, and Jimmy Doherty (1993).

After Avery passed away in 1977, Connell Park Raceway staged the Earle Avery Memorial Pace for a number of years as an Invitational race and who can forget Power Baron’s track record equaling performance (2:00.4) in a torrential downpour in 1979.

POWER BARON after winning the Earle Avery Memorial in 1979.

The legendary Hall-of-Famer, Stanley Dancer, thought so much of Avery that be brought the horse, Plat Du Jour, up from the United States to compete in the race to honor the memory of his friend.  He was upstaged by the Maritime free-for-aller, Power Baron, in the rain but that race is still remembered as one of the most thrilling ever held in New Brunswick.

POWER BARON scoring down just prior to the Earle Avery Memorial race in 1979.

At that time, I was a twelve-year-old newcomer to harness racing and I can still remember sitting in a very tightly packed grandstand on a warm July night, only to see the skies open up just before the big race.  The excitement in the grandstand that night still resonates with me after all these years and because of that race I became a fan of harness racing for life.

Earle Avery is still lauded by some for his excellence as a career horseman and recognized as one of the “good guys” in harness racing, though recognition for his achievements – he set nine world records during his career as an example - has faded somewhat over the years when compared to his equivalent in PEI.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of Earle Avery and Meadow Skipper’s historic world championship 1:55.1 mile at Lexington, Kentucky in 1963.

To commemorate this occasion, I will be presenting a special four-part series on Earle Avery and Meadow Skipper over the next week.

This Sunday, July 21, I will bring you the fascinating story of Avery’s life and career and his rise to the top of the harness racing world in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  This will also be featured in The Daily Gleaner and the Woodstock Bugle-Observer.    

On Tuesday, July 23, I will be reprinting an interview with Avery that took place with The Bugle - originally published in 1975 - as he recounted his life in harness racing.   Thursday, July 25, will be the story of Meadow Skipper, which was written by Dean Hoffman and published in Hoofbeats in 1982.  Finally on Friday, July 26, a bonus story on Avery and a trotter named Love Song, who had an outstanding career in Maine in the early 1940’s and came from a family that produced many Hambletonian winners.

You will be able to find these stories at The Fredericton Scene.  Also check out the many pictures of Avery and his horses over the next week on Facebook as well.

  

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Connell Park Raceway in Woodstock will be celebrating an anniversary of sorts this year when its hosts it’s only card of harness racing on Friday, August 2, 2013.  It will be the 45^th year at the current location in Connell Park.

In the days leading up to the Friday night program, I will bring you the history of harness racing in Woodstock and I will be posting many pictures of horses and horsemen from past years.  Keep checking the Facebook page as it will be updated daily.

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For more blogs on New Brunswick harness racing go to thefrederictonscene.blogspot.ca
 

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