236 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



Ames, 2:20 3-4. matinee record 2:15 1-4; 

 Lucky Jim, 2:20 1-4; Charley King, 

 2:14 1-4; Pierpont Morgan (2), 2\2j 3-4, and 

 a half-mile matinee record of 1 :02 ; Southern 

 .Spy, matinee record of 1 :o5 1-2, and Belinut, 

 2:2^. One season Mr. Leonard won every 

 start he made with Pierpont Morgan in the 

 Readville matinees. 



On August 2T„ 1905, Mr. Leonard won a 

 hard fought race with Chimes Bell, and gave 

 her a matinee wagon record of 2:14 1-4. 

 which was the fastest mile to wagon by a 

 green trotter made that year. For his victory 

 he was given a large set of tubular chime 

 bells. 



Mr. Leonard was one of the first members 

 of the Metropolitan Driving Club, and soon 

 after joined the Dorchester and Fellsway 

 Clubs, where he was active and a help in 

 many ways. He has been on the board of 

 directors, and served on other committees 

 in the Metropolitan Driving Club. 



It has always been a great pleasure to Mr. 

 Leonard to drive that good, all-around road 

 horse, Southern Spy, that won all of his races 

 the first season out, and has to his credit a 

 large number of silver cups that he captured 

 in the show ring. For six years he was a 

 constant winner of blue ribbons and, in 1914, 

 he was as sound as a colt. 



It was for a number of years Mr. Leon- 

 ardos opinion that early racing over the 

 Massachusetts half-mile tracks would be 

 beneficial to horse owners and the breeders 

 of the light harness horse, but he was not able 

 to bring this about until [914 when, with the 

 assistance of Justin Fdwards and Samuel B. 

 Hastings, the Bay State Short Ship Circuit 

 was started with Mr. Leonard president, 

 and it proved an unqualified success. At the 

 meeting of the Circuit Stewards at Young's 

 Hotel, Boston, on November 18, 1914, Mr. 

 Leonard, not desiring the presidency another 

 term, was made one of the executive com- 

 mittee in the continuation of the circuit for 

 the rear 1915. Mr. Leonard resides in 

 Brookline, Mass. 



JOHN L. GILMAN 



John L. Gilman was born in Newfields, 

 N. H., in 1S59, and was graduated from the 

 schools of Fxeter, X. H. His first work in 

 Boston was in the wholesale dry goods de- 

 partment of Jordan Marsh Co. in 1S78. In 

 [886 he opened a hotel and cafe, at Revere 

 Beach, and continued in this business for 

 himself for fourteen years. 



He has been an honorary member of the 

 Metropolitan Driving Club since its organi- 

 zation, and the success of the club is largely 

 due to the efforts of Mr. Gilman, as he has 



been superintendent of the Charles River, up- 

 per division, Metropolitan Park Commission 

 since 1899, which in part takes in the Charles 

 River Speedway. Constant vigilance, with 

 good judgment, made the straightaway 

 speedway one of the very fastest in the whole 

 country. 



The half-mile track was constructed by Mr. 

 Gilman having his employees dump ashes 

 over the marsh and afterward the loam top- 

 soil, that completed the track, was put on. 



There was some opposition on the part of 

 the Metropolitan Park Commissioners in 

 building a half-mile track, they believing that 

 the expense would be too much for them to 

 burden the taxpayers with. C. H. Belledeu, 

 then president, had explained his plan of the 

 half-mile circle going between the speedway 

 proper and the river. After visiting the 

 Metropolitan Park Commissioners, Mr. Belle- 

 deu informed Mr. Gilman of what was their 

 decision, to which the latter replied : 



"You leave that to me, Mr. Belledeu, we 

 have tons and tons of ashes, and I will make 

 that plot of land the dumping place for these 

 ashes. It will take only a short time before 

 the ground required will be filled in and then 

 the Metropolitan Park Commissioners can 

 look it over and see what a slight expense 

 will put on an additional cover of loam and 

 complete the half-mile track." 



What happened and how it came out, the 

 members of the club now well know. The 

 half-mile track is one of the best outdoors. 

 and is greatly enjoyed by the horse-loving 

 public of Greater Boston. Mr. Gilman has 

 always been alert in keeping in per- 

 fect condition the straightaway track, the 

 half-mile course, the horse show ring, and all 

 of the other appointments at the speedway. 



Mr. Gilman is a member of the Masons, 

 Pequossett Lodge, Watertown, and of the 

 Neptune Lodge of Odd Fellows, Revere. He 

 resides at 525 Western Ave., Brighton, Mass. 



FRANK G. TROTT 

 Frank G. Trott was born in Council 

 Bluffs, la., in 1 87 r . After receiving his 



education, he entered partnership with his 

 father, Lemuel G., in the publishing- of a turf 

 paper. Spirit of the Hub, where he remained 

 from [889 t" [896. In the Spring of the 

 latter year he went on the Boston Globe as 

 assistant to Allen Lowe, and became turf 

 editor, with complete charge of that depart- 

 ment, on January 1, [898, where he lias since 

 remained. 



Mr. Trott has been a valuable aid in pro- 

 moting the horse interests of New England 

 with his clear cut and concise accounts of the 

 racing and of the men prominent in its 



