John Berry: The best race ever!

As many of you know by now, I love the history of this grand sport of harness racing.

From the Narragansett Pacers of the 1700’s to the arrival of Messenger in 1788 to the first 3:00 mile recorded by Yankee in 1806 to Conquerer’s epic 100-mile world recorded in 1853 (in eight hours, 55 minutes and 53 seconds) to yesterday’s 15th at Northfield Park…and a million more remembrances in between, in my eyes, this sport has the greatest history in all of sport.

I am approaching the 60th anniversary of my first published script for the harness racing. Yes, it was February 4, 1964, in the Horseman and Fair World, ironically, the week that Pompano Park opened for pari-mutuel racing.

I have witnessed a whole lot.

I have seen the great—and not-so-great—“tracers and potters” that have graced our tracks in North America…from Roosevelt Raceway in the east to Hollywood Park in the west and Hippodrome Blue Bonnets in the north to the “Pomp” in the south.

From Scotsdam’s world record mile at Maywood Park on March 17, 1962, to the races at Hawthorne one night when the wind chill was 64 below zero—with the horses wearing mufflers and cars running in the parking lot so they wouldn’t freeze over during a mile in 2:12 3/5.

I have especially enjoyed having conversations with many great horsemen and women over the years—famous or not—Edgar Leonard, Edith Mouw, Curly Smart, Bill Roseboom, Jim Doherty, Herve, Jo Ann (when she was Looney), “Showbiz”, Snake Willis, Gene Vallandingham, Dick Baker, Lou Rapone, Lew Williams, Vernon Dancer, Doug Miller, Freddie Grant, Tom Merriman, Peter Blood, Odell Thompson, Andy Santeramo, Wally Hennessey, Mickey McNichol, Dave Miller and Timmy…just to name a few of a thousand…

They have enriched my life—not by wealth, but, most certainly, by their treasured friendship.

Along the way, I have casually asked them about the greatest race or horse that have had or witnessed.

The “many” that are/were deemed famous had too “many” to pick just one or two.

Could it have been the 1953 Hambletonian with 23 starters in three tiers?

Could it have been the 1978 Little Brown Jug when Bill Popfinger caught his foes flat-footed in the final three horse race with a quarter move that will never be forgotten?

Could it have been the aforementioned Scotsdam, who won the slowest pari-mutuel mile in history, negotiating the Maywood quagmire in 3:38 3/5? (Yes, 3:38 3/5)

It’s one of the greatest I, personally, have ever witnessed, that’s for sure.

What about the It’s Fritz-Cam Fella race…or Sonsam’s monster brush in his Meadowlands Pace.

How about Jamin…probably eating an artichoke after his win in the first Roosevelt International…or Une De Mai…or one of Ideal de Gazeau’s three straight wins…

And what about those epic confrontations between Bret Hanover, Cardigan Bay, Adios Vic and/or True Duane.

The giant New Hat comes to mind, too. He seemed like he was 20 “hands” but I know he was “only” 17 1/2.

There could be 10,000 entrees in this category.

But I have found one that I did not see in person that just might be the greatest race in all of harness racing history.

The “bicycle wheel” sulky was first introduced in 1892 and, the next year, 1893, the World’s Fair was brought to Chicago and, at Washington Park, near the exhibition fairgrounds, the $15,000 Columbian Free-For-All brought together 10 of the best trotters, including the world champion, Alix.

Alix, though bred in neighboring Iowa, was foaled and raised in Illinois, her sire being Patronage and she would be driven by Jack Curry on a race that would go nine heats over three days.

The interest in this race was, to say the least, unimaginable, as over $100,000 was wagered on the event with the “official” declaration taking until the winner was decided on the third day when Alix won a third and deciding heat.

It all started on September 14 of 1893 when Alix won the first heat (of four heats that day) in a 10-horse field, winning over another mare, Pixley, driven by J. H. Dickerson, in 2:07 3/4 with the gelding Lord Clinton third, driven by R. J. Raybould.

The second heat of the day was won by another mare, Hulda, (the favorite) driven by Orrin Hickok, the brother of Wild Bill Hickok. She covered her mile in 2:10 1/4 over the gelding Lord Clinton with the chestnut mare, Nightingale, driven by ”Pop” Gears, third. Alix finished sixth in this heat.

In those days, they had a “distance” flag and any horse that was back of that marker was eliminated from further competition, but all horses made it on to the next heat.

Hulda also won the third heat—in 2:10 3/4—leaving her one win away from the Free-For-All crown over Pixley and Lord Clinton with Alix eighth.

But Alix rallied and won that fourth heat, sending the competition into a second day after winning that mile in 2:11 3/4.  Pixley was second (for the third time) with Ryland T next while Hulda pulled up lame in that heat and would see no further action on the racetrack.

The second day started with the consistent Lord Clinton winning over Nightingale in 2:11 1/2 with the gelding Walter E, driven by R. J. Steward, finishing third to keep his hopes alive.

The sixth heat—second on day two—saw Pixley finally hitting the winner’s circle in 2:09 3/4 with Alix and Walter E next.

On to heat number seven where the mare Nightingale won in 2:12 3/4, leading to a reduced field of seven for the eighth heat with Alix the only possible winner of this, as she was the only one with two wins going in.

It was not to be…yet!

Pixley beat Alix in that eighth heat in 2:15 1/4 with a third day of racing looming ahead.

Only six of the original interests showed up for that third day, including, of course, the four previous heat winners, and it was Alix winning over Pixley and Nightingale in 2:09 3/4—tied for the second fastest heat of the entire event.

This epic battle of nine heats over three days was, finally, “OFFICIAL” and bound to the record books forever.

The following year, 1894, Alix set the world’s record for trotters on September 19 of that year when she trotted a mile in 2:03 3/4 at Galesburg, Illinois under the guidance of Andrew McDowell, eclipsing the former mark of 2:04 by the legendary Nancy Hanks about two years prior—September 23, 1892.

Alix, by the way, held her record for almost six years, until the gelding The Abbot clipped a quarter second to set the new standard—2:03 1/2—on September 25, 1900, for “Pop” Geers.

Alix was a foal of 1888, died in 1901, and elected as an immortal in the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 1993—her dam being Atlanta—with some wondering if re-incarnation played any role as the “modern day” Atlanta is, along with Manchego, the fastest trotting mare in history—1:49.

So, there you have it…my pick for the greatest race of all time.

We’d like to know your choice as the greatest race of all time.

Let us know so we can put together a column on “the greatest races of all time.”

Until then, “May the Horse Be With You.”

by John Berry, for Harnesslink