The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



275 



Parker, 2:20 1-4; Lord Abbott, Mary Cliff, 

 the promising young stallion, Gun Metal, 

 2:16 1-4. the fast filly, Mary Metal. George 

 M.. and three fast fillies by Gun Metal. 

 Mr. Morrison has raced a professional stable. 

 outside of his matinee string, for a number 

 of years, in charge of the capable trainer, 

 J. J. "Whitey" Crowley. There is no man 

 that enjoys the sport any better than Mr. 

 Morrison, anil, no matter what comes his 

 way. victory or defeat, he takes it with the 

 same degree of fortitude. Mr. Morrison 

 resides at 13 Grant Street, Somerville, 

 Mass. 



COL. A. C. DRINKWATER 



Col. A. C. Drinkwater was born in Tops- 

 ham. Me., in 1844, and received his education 

 in the public schools and Edward Lattle 

 Institute. He was brought up in the leather 

 business, and started in business for himself 

 in i860, in Braintree, Mass., where he is still 

 located. 



Co'onel Drinkwater was first president of 

 the < >ld Colony Driving- Club. He recog- 

 nized in the organization of such an associa- 

 tion the benefit it would be to the owners of 

 horses on the South Shore, in having them 

 interested in securing the best horses and in 

 keeping them in the best of condition. Thus 

 it was that the maxim of the club was to 

 improve the breed of horses used bv gentle- 

 men, and. following that plan, one of the first 

 rules adopted after Colonel Drinkwater was 

 made president, was that hoppled horses be 

 barred from participating in the matinees of 

 the club at the South Weymouth track. This 

 theory of the Old Colony Club has been 

 stronglv adhered to since, and is counted to 

 have, in no small way, been the cause of its 

 continuous success, which is growing larger 

 and of more importance in the amateur field 

 While a breeder on a small scale, vet 

 Colonel Drinkwater has made his name 

 known the country over by the fast trotters 

 and pacers he has bred. Among the most 

 noted w^as Cochato (V), 2:11 1-2, winner of 

 the classic Charter Oak Futurity, and now 

 fast becoming a sire of renown. The Bosun, 

 2: °5 3~4, too, was bred by the Colonel ; Cello, 

 2:17 1-2. was another; Mazie Sidney, trial, 

 2:13 1-4, be purchased when she 'was a 

 suckling filly, and she became prominent 

 afterwards in the matinee circles of Greater 

 Boston. 



In 1914 Colonel Drinkwater pointed with 

 pride to the performance of the pacer, Squan- 

 tum, 2 :co 1-2. which he bred. Although only 

 a three-year-old, yet this youngster was 

 timed in 2:02 1-2 when he finished second to 

 Anna Bradford in 2:01 1-2. The untimely 



death of Squantum, the Fall of 1914, at 

 Phoenix, Arizona, was regretted by his ad- 

 mirers, who felt that, in his campaign of 1915, 

 great credit would be given to Massachusetts 

 by the victories of this prominent youngster. 

 A peculiar circumstance in the training of 

 Squantum by Millard Drinkwater. at Read- 

 ville track in 191 3, was that he showed every 

 inclination of being a fast trotter up to the 

 lime he was developed to going a mile in 

 2 124. Squantum then suddenly changed, 

 when at speed, to pacing, and soon proved to 

 his trainer that that was his natural gait, he 

 soon after working a mile in 2:18. 



While Colonel Drinkwater was a small 

 breeder, yet he was very particular in the 

 selection of the mare and stallion for mating, 

 he never breeding a mare unless she was of 

 a highly nervous temperament, while the 

 stallion must be "all horse," but level- 

 headed — not rattle-brained. By following 

 this plan he ascribes his success in breeding 

 trotters. Colonel Drinkwater resides at Brain 

 tree, Mass. 



HARRY C. THAYER 



Harrv C. Thaver was born in South 

 Braintree, Mass., in 1873. He joined the 

 Dorchester Driving Club in 1906, and was 

 one of the five that instituted the Old Colony 

 Driving Club, which was organized in 1908. 

 Mr. Thayer has held the position of president 

 and vice-president of the Old Colony Driving 

 Club, having been very prominent in its af- 

 fairs. 



In the matinees at the South Weymouth 

 track, Mr. Thayer has raced the fastest trot- 

 ters that have represented the club in Altro 

 L., 2:09 3-4; Katherine R., 2:11 3-4; Miss 

 Lake and The Mermaid. Altro L. started in 

 the first matinee given by the Old Colony 

 Club, in 1908, and is the only horse of that 

 period now racing in the matinees of the club, 

 in the Fall of 1914. In the initial matinee, 

 Altro L. placed the trotting record of the 

 track at 1:10 1-2, and the present mark of 

 1 :0/ was made by him in the Fall of the 

 same year. In 1913 Mr. Thayer purchased 

 the trotting mare, Katherine R. She won 

 many races for him that Summer, showing 

 her superiority over the other trotters, and, 

 on August 16, equaled the record of 1 :o7 of 

 the track in a race against Van Dyke. Mr. 

 Thayer resides in South Braintree, his native 

 town. 



MATTHEW C. SPROUL 



Matthew C. Sproul was born in Abington, 

 Mass., in 1875, and was graduated from the 

 local schools. His first work in Boston was 

 for George F. Blake Manufacturing Co., in 



