142 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



George E. Whitney, Enfield, N. H., and 

 trained and driven by Ed. Sunderlin the sea- 

 sons of 1906-7. His winnings down the big 

 line for 1907 were $7,730, making him the 

 second largest money winner of the year in 

 the pacing division. 



It is so well known how he took the word 

 in nineteen races, winning eleven in 1904, 

 and was first nine times out of thirteen starts 

 in 1906, that space would be ill used in 

 enumerating them here. In his campaign of 

 1907 outside of Detroit, he headed the sum- 

 mary in nine straight races, losing his initial 

 start to Baron Grattan, at Detroit, in 

 2:03 1-4, 2:04 1-4, 2:07, when he finished 

 second. 



His opponents down the line were Argot 

 Boy, Baron Grattan, Gratt, Boliver, Ecstatic, 

 Nervolo, Audubon Boy, Phalla, Gallagher 

 and Rutly Kipp, he meeting one or the others 

 at different places. His best money-winning 

 race was the Park Brew $5,000 stake at 

 Providence. He went his fastest two-heat 

 race at Syracuse, the time being 2:02 1-2, 

 2 :oi 3-4. The then record for the fastest 

 three heats by a pacing gelding he earned at 

 Readville. 



All of his nine winning races were taken in 

 straight heats, with the sole exception of 

 Columbus, when the assistant trainer of the 

 Whitney stable, \Y. W. Bowser, elected 

 to drive him. and Angus Pointer made the 

 only break of the year, losing the opening 

 trip to Gallagher. Myron McHenry was 

 then asked to take the reins and little trouble 

 had he gaining the victory. Audubon Boy, 

 in the second heat at Lexington, gave him 

 the severest test, it looking when nearing 

 the wire that the champion was beaten, but 

 McHenry rallied him with whip and voice, 

 Audubon Boy went to a break, and the race 

 was over. 



In order to place another gem in the 

 string of conquests of Angus Pointer he was 

 started over the Watertown, N. Y., half- 

 mile track and placed the season's mark at 

 2:06 1-4 for two-lap tracks. 



He was passed through the Old Glory 

 sale in New York that Fall, but was re- 

 turned to his old stable, being bid in for 

 Mr. Whitney for $7,400, though a represen- 

 tative of Lotta Crabtree ran the bidding to 

 a hundred less than that sum. Soon after 

 the return of the noted gelding to Enfield, 

 he died from pneumonia, the result of a cold 

 caught en route from New York. 



A man ought to do as well as a horse ; I 

 wish all men did do as well. — Roe. 



CHAPTER IX 



Famous Road Drivers Whose Horses 

 Were Kept at Sawyer's Stable 



IT was with regret the old-time horse- 

 men and road drivers of Boston noted 

 the demolition of Sawyer's old board- 

 ing and baiting stable at the corner of 

 Chestnut and Brimmer Streets, in the 

 West End, for modern dwelling houses, for 

 a generation ago, almost any afternoon, any- 

 where from twenty-five to thirty men, re- 

 puted to be millionaires or very near to it, 

 could be seen donning their driving togs and 

 starting out from Sawyer's for an afternoon 

 spin with their trotters, boarded at the stable. 

 Many of them drove in daily in the morning 

 from the suburbs, put up their rigs at Saw- 

 yer's, went down to their offices and returned 

 for their teams to go out over the Mill Dam, 

 the then noted speedway of Boston, and 

 thence on to their homes. 



Among that class were: Henry M. Whit- 

 ney, H. P. Cabot, W. L. Badger, Dr. Weld. 

 William Weld and John M. Forbes, once 

 mariner, later merchant in the Oriental trade. 

 He is described as usually coming in from 

 Milton on horseback, habitually carrying an 

 umbrella in anticipation of a possible shower. 



Other transients of later days were Hon. 

 Robert Bacon, later Ambassador to France, 

 and Mr. and Mrs. John L. Gardner, when 

 their city house was closed. The Gardner 

 equipage and livery is said to have been one 

 of the finest that ever came into the stable. 

 Another outfit of equally high class was that 

 of Mrs. George W. Wales, of Beacon Street. 



J. Reed Whipple, of hotel fame, kept his 

 horses at Sawyer's. The story is told how he 

 purchased at auction the famous trotting 

 mare Reina, 2:12 1-4, formerly belonging to 

 John Shepard, who had sold her under the 

 impression that her days of glory were ended. 

 Mr. Whipple turned his purchase over to 

 Sawyer to be put in prime condition, and un- 

 der the fostering of the experts of the stable 

 Reina "came back," and one day, when the 

 sleighing was good, Mr. Whipple concluded 

 to try his new trotter. 



He drove leisurely out to Coolidge Corner, 

 it bHng of the period when the snow racing 

 was over the boulevard from that point to 

 St. Mary Street, where he met John Shep- 

 ard, John W. Wheelwright and a few other 

 acquaintances that had speed hitched to run- 

 ners, and dropped them a hint that he would 

 not be averse to a brush. 



The speed of the rejuvenated Reina proved 

 too much for the hotel man's nervous system, 

 however, and when he returned to the stable 



