224 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



Hicks were : Dynamite, 2 :20 3-4 ; May Bee, 

 2:24: Belle Franklin, 2:28 1-4; Peerless Ben, 

 2:26 1-4; Rare Ben, 2:26; Susie Owen, 2:26; 

 Steve Maxwell, 2:211-2; News Boy, 2:27; 

 Dick, 2:121-2; R. W. S., 2:291-4; Lulu 

 Mapes, 2:15 1-4; Ben Wilkes, 2:17 1-4; Mat- 

 tie K. Snell, 2:24; Happy Girl, 2:2/ 1-2; The 

 Nun, 2:24 1-4; Maggie G. Middleton, 

 2 :20 3-4 ; Blanche Douglas, 2 :29 ; Captain 

 George, 2:29; Lady Cutts (tr.), 2:21 ; Wilkin, 

 2:271-2; Centella, 2:21; Kitty Morris, 2:30; 

 Carleton, 2 -.28, etc. 



After leaving Beacon Park Mr. Hicks was 

 for two years connected with his brother, J. 

 Tyler Hicks, in running Granite State Park, 

 Dover, N. H. In the building of Combina- 

 tion Park, Medford, Mr. Hicks was one-third 

 owner of the property with J. Tyler Hicks and 

 Arthur Hicks. Up to the year 1905, Mr. 

 Hicks was manager of Combination Park, 

 Medford, and gave electric light racing and 

 vaudeville shows evenings, during the Sum- 

 mer months. Here, too, was the big Elks 

 Fair and Carnival. It was at Combination 

 Park that Joe Patchen made his then world's 

 half-mile record for pacers, of 2:041-4, and 

 Cephias set the world's half-mile record for 

 trotters at 2:11 1-4. Mr. Hicks resides at 

 Winchester, Mass. 



speed was in his butcher wagon, from which 

 he took him and won a $100 handicap race 

 at Combination Park. Mr. Nelson resides at 

 890 Broadway, West Somerville, Mass. 



A. I. NELSON 



A. I. Nelson was born in Sweden, where 

 he received his education. His first work in 

 Boston was in the grocery and provision 

 store of Charles Porter. In 1903 he started 

 in business for himself, opening a grocery 

 and provision store in Davis Square, Somer- 

 ville, where he is now located. He joined the 

 Metropolitan Driving Club in 1906, and was 

 one of the earlv members of the Fellsway 

 Club. 



Mr. Nelson has always been prominent in 

 the matinees of the clubs to which he belongs 

 and, with the success that he has had, it is 

 peculiar that all of his horses were worked 

 every day, excepting the ones they raced, in 

 his butcher carts. One afternoon, at Charles 

 River Speedway, he carried off three blue 

 ribbons, winning with Red George, Nancy, 

 and Max C. Among the horses he has owned 

 were Johnny Wilkes. Jr., Lord Krimnel, 

 Independence Boy, Nancy, Charles Hubbard, 

 2:12 1-4, winner of a heat at Charles River 

 Speedway in 1 :oi 1-2, and of nine blue and 

 two red ribbons in eleven races; Bard L., 

 Dandv Jim, Baron Liege, and the war horse, 

 The Montana, 2:18 1-2. Dandy Jim. in the 

 season of 1910, captured the first point cup of 

 the Metropolitan Club and. during the series, 

 54 trotters competed against him. The first 

 that Mr. Nelson knew of Dandv Jim having 



JOHN W. COAKLEY 



One of the leading horsemen of New Eng- 

 land is John W. Coakley, and he has had 

 experience in all degrees of the sport, hav- 

 ing been owner, trainer and driver, manager 

 of a racing stable, and conducted public auc- 

 tion sales of fast trotters and pacers. 



It was in the early nineties that the fol- 

 lowers of the turf first became acquainted 

 with Mr. Coakley. He was then trainer for 

 Charles Whittemore, owner of the Lookout 

 Farm. South Natick, Mass., and had on the 

 New England tracks the stallion, Rockaway, 

 to which he gave a record of 2:171-4. 



In the years of 1897-98 Mr. Coakley held 

 a series of speed sales, the first in Walker's 

 stable in Portland Street, and later in Wash- 

 ington Street, above Northampton Street. 

 In the meantime he was manager of a Wash- 

 ington Street hotel for a short time, and 

 later became interested in the laundry busi- 

 ness, entering the employ of Mr. Smith, own- 

 er of Star Pointer, 1 :59 1-4, the first pacer 

 to beat two minutes. He then ooened the 

 Blue Ribbon laundry in Lincoln Place, near 

 the Hotel Langham, where he is now located 

 in business. 



While Mr. Coakley has owned a number of 

 fast trotters and pacers in recent years, yet 

 his best trotter was Belvasia, 2:06 1-4, a big 

 winner down the Grand Circuit, and his 

 fastest pacer was Aileen Wilson, 2:021-2. 



Mr. Coakley is known as a clever reins- 

 man. Walter Cox thinks well enough of 

 his management in the sulky to have often 

 secured him to drive races for him. At 

 Cleveland he won a rich stake for the 

 Dover, X. H.. driver with Esther W., 

 2 :o6 1-4. In the Hanks' Circuit in Maine, 

 in 1 9 1 3 , he won two $5,000 stakes with 

 Baring. 2:121-2, and got second money in 

 another stake. In 11114 he campaigned his 

 own trotter, Glenard, 2:151-4, by Moko, 

 with success. Mr. Coakley resides in Dor- 

 chester, Mass. 



HANCE B. RALSTON 



Hance B. Ralston was born in Nova Scotia 

 in 1865, and attended the public schools of his 

 native town. His first work in Boston was in 

 the employ of a Mr. King, blacksmith, in 

 1885. He opened a blacksmith shop of his 

 own in 1896 in Brighton, where he is still 

 located. Later he added to his duties the 

 training and driving of horses, and now has 



