Race Horses Along the Eastern Shore
In racing circles the northern New England states are termed the "potato belt." They do raise a great many "spuds" up there, but I am willing to bet that they raise more of them per acre down on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. That Country was evidently made for potato raising, for the soil is rich and fertile and as level as a billiard table, without a stone in it. There is little ground that is not cultivated and practically nothing but potatoes planted. The farmers have planted and everyone thinks and talks potatoes, from dawn til dark. Surely it is the real potato belt.
Just like their New England rivals, these Eastern Shore Virginians are "horsey." A great many of the farmers own harness horses, and most of them make their record trotters and pacers help plow up the fields. After the day's work is done they gather around the stove at the local store and step the colts that are to break all records during the coming summer and re-race all the old campaigners. Many an argument over the respective merits of these steeds is started, and now that spring is here and the training season close at hand many a challenge is made and accepted to be fought out the next day on the road.
It is a horsey country and a prosperous country. Every farmer owns at least one Ford. Their homes are large and modern. The stables are clean and the horses well taken care of, with few exceptions. And they are game people, too. When one thinks he has a good one he doesn't try to hide it but ships up north with it to meet the best of them, and often they bring home the bacon.
Perhaps the best known of the Eastern Shore horsemen are the Bull Brothers, of Melfa, Va. Of the two, William L. is the better known for he always has more horses to race than his brother, and spends more time with them. But Soule C. takes an active interest and always has a few in training and once in a while trims his more experienced brother. Both boys have fine homes adjoining each other with many acres of land planted, of course in potatoes.
Will Bull has been successful at racing horses as he has been at farming so much so that he is able to turn the farm over to his two sons each year, while he goes off to the races. Will, of course, likes to win at the races but he is always satisfied if he breaks even, for he races purely for the sport of it. He could easily get enough horses to make up a big stable every summer if he wanted to, but he would rather race his own, and sometimes one or two others.
Will is jogging five this spring. One of these, a black colt by Host Peter 2:10 has made a great hit with his owner. He is good-gaited, and doesn't know how to do anything but trot. Will thinks he is one of the best colts he has ever owned. He is a three-year-old now. Great Adventure 2:15 1/4, an inbred Peter the Great trotter, that out of thirteen starts last year was not once out of the money is still in the Bull stable, and should be in the money again, for he is not outclassed. Will started Lady Abdell only once last season before she threw a curb while being shipped. She is in good shape now and will be started in the slow trots this year. She is by Abdell Axworthy. His only pacer Harry Direct is in good shape. He still has Cherry Willis p. 2:06 1/4, the little Peter the Great mare that he raced for Carrol Griffith of Wilmington, Del. last year. She has gotten so fat this winter that I didn't know her when she was brought out on the floor.
Soule Bull has three which he has taken up and is jogging. He has Helen Direct with a heat record of 2:21 1/4; Marie Bingen, a green trotting mare by Foros and a three-year-old by Abdell Axworthy. There is considerable rivalry between the brothers over their three-year-olds. They have been racing around the stove many nights already, and they say that so far Soule has the best of the argument, but all Melfa is waiting for them to dig into each other on the roads soon, and there are a lot of fine roads down on the Peninsula for jogging and early training. Most of the horses in training are shipped up to Tasley, Va. for their final prep before going to the races.
Dr. W. M. Turlington, a veterinarian at Melfa has several fine horses. The one that he seems to think the most of is a colt named William, with a heat record of 2:22 1/4, by J. Malcolm Forbes 2:08. The Doctor has a bet on with one of his neighbors that if William doesn't beat 2:15 over the Pocomoke, Md. track the doctor is to eat a piece of dead dog. Then he has an Abdell Axworthy three-year-old named Lady Belle. He also has a pacing mare by Junior Stokes and a two-year-old colt named Peter Paul, by Peter Neptune owned by the Doctor's son.
Not far from Eastville, Va., lives H. P. ("Hezzy") James one of the largest owners of good potato land on the shore, and a horseman besides. He has just started to jog his three and is very enthusiastic over the future of a pacing mare by Onworthy which he calls Worthy Girl. He also has Alice the Great, a big mare which he raced some last year and a colt by Axie Todd, 2:11 1/4. Mr. James just recently bought a new home which is one of the show pieces of the section, and he is spending a great deal of money getting it fixed up in first-class shape.
The Eastern Shore District is full of Nottinghams, their name appearing everywhere, especially wherever horses are. Ed Nottingham of Eastville is talking soon of moving to Reading, Pa., where he can have a good place to train his horses. He has three horses to jog and a brood mare. Harry Bingen 2:11 1/4 heads the list, he having won some five races last year. Then comes Marie Worthy 2:13 1/4, and a green mare by The Harvester 2:01, Miss Nabisco. The brood mare is Helen M., winner of a number of races last year.
Sam Nottingham at present only owns a half interest in Uncle Joe, 2:11 1/4, but he has in the past owned and brought out a number of good ones. He was the breeder of Moko Axworthy 2:10 1/4, and livened things up in the Orange County Circuit with that horse. The other half of Uncle Joe is owned by John E. Nottingham and is now on his farm at Franktown, Va. Besides Uncle Joe he has a three-year-old by Sidney Prince 2:20 1/4 out of an Axworthy mare; a yearling by U. Forbes 2:12 1/4, out of an Axworthy dam; a colt by Etawah 2:03 that looks just like his sire; a youngster by Dillon Axworthy 3 2:10 1/4 and another by Guy Axworthy 2:08 3/4 besides a pacing mare by The Harvester. They are all stabled in a good barn and are taken care of by a colored groom whom both Nottinghams think is the best in the country.
Henry L. Upshur, proprietor of the Elkington Stock Grain and Truck farm at Eastville has started to jog his band. He is well known as the breeder of Little Peter 2:07 1/4 and a number of others. He now has Mozelle 2:17 1/4 and Jackie 2:18 both by Little Peter and Miss Toddles 2:17 1/4 also Hilda C. by Onworthy and a four-year-old mare by Little Peter. Mr. Upshur will probably ship to Tasley later in the spring and complete the "prep" there.
Onworthy has become a popular sire down in that section of the country since the three-year-old Ellen K. 2:13 1/4 raced so well last year. She was unbeaten. Her owner, W. C. Scott of Capeville, Va. had never done much training before he got Ellen K. from a negro down his way but he "has the bug" now and expects to take her up into the Orange County Circuit this summer and show them what she can do. Mr. Scott is another potato man and he is going to spend what he can spare in trying to get another Ellen K. Good luck to him!