232 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



judgment can well be ascribed the prosperity 

 of the club. 



In the racing he has always been one of 

 the leaders, and it has been an established fact 

 that in any race in which he had horses his 

 opponents would have to step fast in order 

 to carry off the blue ribbon. 



Among those that he owned and drove 

 in the matinees are Dick, 2:121-2; Ben 

 Wilkes, matinee record of 2:15; Lulu Alapes, 

 2:15 1-4; Miss Leander, 2:25 1-4; Lina Prue, 

 matinee record of 2:181-4; Eliska, matinee 

 record of 2:20; The Keepsake, 2 :i8 1-4; G. O. 

 Taylor, 2:151-4; Joe Bassett, 2:231-4; The 

 < >nly One, 2:20 1-2; Uncle Ed, matinee record 

 of 2:24; Tom Gillig, yearling record of 

 2:373-4; Mack Alack, 2:08; and Bronson, 

 2 :I2. 



( )f all these horses there are none that equal 

 the trotting gelding, Bronson. This gelding 

 had been campaigned for several years by 

 Henry Titer with varying success. He 

 was known to have a lot of speed, but after 

 winning a heat, he did not seem to be capa- 

 ble of getting the necessary three heats to 

 head the summary and, for that reason, had 

 been counted a trifle "soft." 



Bronson was finally sold at auction in New 

 York and, early in 1913, his new owner raced 

 him on the New York Speedway, during that 

 Spring winning with him the President's cup 

 by beating all the best trotters in New York 

 City. 



He was sold to Mr. Graves in August of 

 that year and brought to Boston, where he 

 was raced in the matinees of the Gentlemen's 

 Driving Club at Readville for three weeks, 

 and then won a race to wagon for the cham- 

 pionship of Boston. After this he was taken 

 to the Charles River Speedway and started in 

 eight races during the Fall season, all of 

 which he won, trotting a mile over the half- 

 mile track in 2:15 1-4, hitched to a cart. On 

 this day the track was in far from its best con- 

 dition, being soggy from recent rains. 



Bronson was carefully wintered at Read- 

 ville by E. D. Bither and was entered in the 

 Spring races of the Short Ship Circuit at 

 Combination Park, Medford, at Haverhill, 

 Worcester, and South Framingham. At Ha- 

 verhill he won one heat from .Margaret Drui- 

 en in 2:131-4. In these races he won first 

 money once, at Worcester, and was three 

 times second. At South Framingham he made 

 Earfwood L. turn the track in 2:12 1-4 to beat 

 him by a neck. He was then taken to the 

 Charles River Speedway and raced once, low- 

 ering the track record for trotters to 2:14 1-2, 

 to cart. 



His next start was at Monroe, N. Y., on 

 August II. in the 2:24 trotting stake of 



$1,000, which he won in straight heats in 

 2:15 1-2, 2 :i4 1-2, and 2 114. He then raced at 

 Goshen, N. Y., in the 2 :20 trot for amateur 

 drivers, it being a stake valued at $2,000. This 

 event he also won, trotting his second heat 

 in 2:12 and the last one in 2:123-4, the final 

 quarter in 2 2 seconds. The following week 

 he raced at Middletown, N. Y., in the 2:24 

 class, purse $1,000, winning in 2:13 1-4, the 

 track record for trotters. 



He was then shipped to the Rockingham 

 Fair, Salem, N. H., and on September 1, in 

 the 2:17 trot, purse $500, he gathered in first 

 money without losing a heat, the final one be- 

 ing in 2:12. From there he went to Hart- 

 ford, Conn., and on September 7, he won a 

 $2,000 stake very easily in straight heats, the 

 fastest in 2:13 3-4. His last professional start 

 was at Brockton, on October 1, where he won 

 the 2:19 trotting stake of $1,000, the fastest 

 heat in 2 :i4 1-4. 



The record of Bronson, under the very 

 clever reinsmanship of Mr. Graves, was 

 nothing short of sensational. Many experts 

 of horses were inclined to jibe Mr. Graves in 

 his purchase of Bronson, but the proof has 

 been that he was the best purchase that could 

 possibly have been made, the little trotter be- 

 ing fearless, easy to drive, always on a trot, 

 and honest as the day is long. It was pre- 

 dicted the season of 1914 that he had speed 

 enough to turn a good mile track, like Colum- 

 bus, in 2:06 or 2:07, and in 1915 the oppor- 

 tunity may be given of seeing how near true 

 this prediction may be. 



In his ten professional starts, in 1914, 

 Bronson was seven times first and three times 

 second, his total winnings amounting to the 

 neat sum of $4,393. This was certainly a won- 

 derful fun horse for a gentleman driver like 

 Air. Graves, for outside of the money that he 

 earned, it was very likely that his owner, if 

 asked, would say that he had earned in solid 

 enjoyment four times that amount. Air. 

 Graves resides in Newton. Mass. 



GEORGE F. LEONARD 

 George F. Leonard, one of Boston's most 

 successful business men, first became inter- 

 ested in the trotting horse about twenty-five 

 years ago, and soon after was made president 

 of tiie Bennington (Yt.) Driving Club, and 

 drove a horse to victory at their first meeting. 

 A few years after this he was prime mover in 

 the organization of the Gentlemen's Driving 

 Club of Boston, and served that club on the 

 board of directors and the racing committee 

 for a number of seasons. During this time, 

 Air. Leonard won a large number of silver 

 cups and numerous blue ribbons with such 

 good trotters as Chimes Bell, 2:09 3-4; Fred 



