Lovers of the Horse 25 



;iii(l iiicrcliants. have met on a coininoii level on the beautiful o^reen swards in front of 

 tlie stands. 'I'lie\ have ehatted cordially tofjetlier in the boxes and seats, or induli^ed 

 in little innocent luit-pools while in the enjoyment of sport as well and re])ntablv 

 manaf>ed as any on the broad face of the earth. 



It was in 1881 that a few gentlemen met in a parlor of the Queen's Hotel with 

 a view to forniino; a Jockey Club with the moderate ca])ital often thou.sand dollars, 

 divided into one hundred shares of one hundred dollars apiece. The late Sir Casinu'r 

 (Izowski was in the chair. In front of him .sat the late Colonel Cumberland, the late 

 Wm. Ilendrie. the late T. C. Patteson. the late J. H. INIead. (leoro-e W. Torrance. Dr. 

 Andrew Smith. T. \N . Jones. E. Kin<;- Dodds. Kol)ert Bond. ('. T. Mead. Arthur (iod- 

 son, Joseph l)u<i<fan. and perhaps one or two others who have escaped the writer's 

 memory. Previous to this meetin<>; the ^^oodbin(> track had for six years been used 

 for I'acini.!,' in a sort of happy-<>'o-lucky way. Mr. l)u<;<;an. j)i'o|)rietor, wished to ])ut 

 both the track and the sport on a better footino-. and with that view interviewed the 

 late Mr. T. C. Patteson. who. after considerable persuasion, consented to take the mat- 

 ter in hand and at once set about it in a businesslike, practical way. The result was 

 that three-cjuarters of the stock was taken on the spot, the late Sir Casimir Gzowski 

 being the hrst to sign the book and to inve.st five hundred dollars. Sulxsequentlv he 

 became President, and in the fall of 1881 the first meeting was held. It is not neces- 

 sary to say that, compared with the present gatherings, it was on a very moderate 

 scale indeed. In fact, one stable could sujjply as many horses, and of j)ossibly a better 

 (|uality. than were considered enough to make u]) the race meetings of that dav. lint 

 energy and enterprise had its reward. Although the disposition at hrst was a bit con- 

 servative, year by year the interest grew until twice as much was raced for on one dav 

 as was at first considered sufficient to afford spltMidid sport for an entire meeting. 



Colonel Cumberland was the first President, but was overtaken with sickness, 

 and never had the pleasure of officiating in that capacity at a meeting of the Club. 

 The old .Vdani was. however, so strong in him. that on his death-bed he commanded 

 his family to go to the races, so that they could tell him how they resulted on their 

 return. "Even if I am dying.*" said the gallant Colonel, with true sportsmanlike and 

 soldierlike spirit, "you should go to the meeting and tell me all about it. I shall eujov 

 your story almost as nnich as if I had been tliere." Colonel (izowski succeeded his 

 fellow-Colonel and continued in the ])osition of President for two or three years, when 

 he was succeeded by the late William Ilendrie. who, on a little divergence of opinion, 

 in the vear 18!)4. with the then Chairman of the Executive. Mr. T. C. Patteson, irave 

 wav to the late Sir I'^rank Snnth. on whose death Mr. \\illiain Hendrie again took up 

 the reins. In this coimection. it is intere.sting to note that the first list of Directors 

 was a sonu'what long one. including twenty of the most prominent gt-ntlemeu of the 

 city, namely. Col. (i/.owski. ^^nl. Ilendrie, T. C. Patteson. J. H. Mead, the present 

 Sir \\n\. Mulock, Duncan Camj)bell. John White, Dr. Andrew Smith, Angus Mor- 

 rison. K. C; J. Cosgi-ave. ^^ . A. Dickson. \\ . Christie, C. Brown, J. E. Riordon, 

 D. Morrow, of Peterboro: Dr. Morton. S. (J. Hamsav. \. Kin^sinill. Thomas McGaw 



