“Well,” Mr. Hussey asked, “What did he say?”
Gilbert delayed answer at first, which irritated Mr. Hussey, but amused Mr. Williams. “He said our horse would have to race 2:40 to even be competitive.”
“Oh,” Mr. Williams said smiling. He apparently was certain Axtell could trot 2:40 without a problem. Gilbert was worried because Axtell didn’t even break 2:50 at the county fair. He reminded himself that the Buchanan County Fairgrounds was a half mile track, the Keokuk track is a full mile. Mr. Williams, who had irritated Mr. Hussey with his silence, finished. “Don’t worry, Axtell can do 2:30 for three heats if he needs to.”
Mr. Hussey would drive Allerton in his first race for two- year- old’s on August 8th best of five heats for a $100 purse. The skinny Mr. Hussey weighed in satisfactorily. The first race for Allerton was won by another horse called Black Wing who trotted the mile in 2:54. Gilbert and Mr. Hussey cooled Allerton down afterward with warmed water they had left in the sun in a secluded area. The second heat for two-year-old’s was won by Black Wing again in a time of 2:52.
Allerton showed little stress from the first two heats, and Mr. Hussey was learning quickly the art of driving in a tough race environment. The third heat became much more competitive for the horses, and Allerton was the winner with a time of 2:52 for the mile. When it was time for Allerton’s next race, Gilbert led him out still rubbing his neck with affection. Allerton was able to win the last two races in times of 2:50 and 3:10. Mr. Williams was pleased with the performance of Allerton and Mr. Hussey.
The next day, August 9th was the day for Axtell’s first race in the three-year-old category. The horse, Senator Conkling, drew the pole position for the first heat. Axtell came out for his warmups, he trotted in the ungainly looking trot. The crowd noticed and comments ran ramped. Gilbert recognized that something was not right.
Gilbert had moved into the stands and could see the owner of Senator Conkling sitting next to the reporter, Miss Timms. Gilbert thought to himself that she was telling him all about what he said and having a big laugh about it. Suddenly the two of them laughed jubilantly. Gilbert got closer so he could hear what they were saying. He still couldn’t hear them, then he had second thoughts about eaves dropping. It really didn’t matter to him what they said or thought anyway.
Mr. Hussey led Axtell out of the barn to the track area just before the first heat. Mr. Williams made his way to the track area after weighing in. He patted Axtell on the nose saying something to him, before getting on the sulky. He jogged Axtell around the track in the awful looking trot. Mr. Williams hadn’t used a firm whip on Axtell since that first day, but he was desperate to get him to trot properly. He brought down a firm whip with no change to Axtell’s gait.
The horses lined up and headed down the track for the start. The judge felt the start was even, and the race was on. Axtell was consistent with his speed as Mr. Williams watched Senator Conkling pull away taking the rail on the first turn.
Axtell continued his ungainly gait, but was able to keep a lagging pace behind the leader. It was horrible to see Axtell with no chance to catch the Senator after the first turn. He was beaten by more than three lengths. Senator Conkling won the one mile race with a time of 2:50 ½. Thankfully Axtell did well enough to qualify to continue in the race.
Gilbert noticed the owner of Senator Conkling burst with excitement at his horse’s performance. “Where’s that lad’s horse ever going to find a place to win a race?” Gilbert heard him say loudly. “The Senator never broke a sweat.”
Miss Timms smiled at the owner, “Let’s see how he does in the next race.” Miss Timms caught Gilbert’s glance, just before he left to attend to Axtell. She winked and smiled at him.
They worked to cool Axtell down after the race just as they did to Allerton. Mr. Williams looked over Axtell carefully looking for anything that may have hindered his performance. “We should have brought him out to watch Allerton race. Maybe I was nervous and he could sense that.” Mr. Hussey started to give Mr. Williams a rub down in hopes to relax him.
“Relax Charles,” he said.
“Stop that,” Charles shrugged away from him laughing.
When they came out for the second heat, Axtell had somehow, to the relief of the three men, found his gait. The crowd didn’t pay much attention to his improved performance.
Mr. Williams will have more confidence with Axtell. He heard many of the other drivers talking to their horses before they began to move. They received the signal from the starter to start the run up. Mr. Williams flipped the reins and the pounding of hoofs on the dirt track began. He kept Axtell even with the horse next to him. Axtell showed to him that he wanted to fly down the track instead of being held back. If the race did not start, he didn’t want to be the one to cause a delay. He kept his eyes on the starting judge, who would give the word if the horses were lined up properly. The judge would not start the race if he thought one of the horses had an advantage over the others.
The word to start the race was given and Mr. Williams immediately encouraged Axtell to a brisk speed. His gait was as strong and pure as it had ever been before. His hooves pounded the dirt, the wheels sang with spirit. Axtell’s mane fluttered in the air from his brisk pace. It was just a matter of a few seconds and Axtell had pulled ahead of the pack. Mr. Williams was pleased to be ahead of the pack out of the dust and obstruction of other horses. Several seconds later he peered back to see he had a lead enough to guide Axtell to the inside pole position for the first turn.
He felt Axtell pulling away from the field and encouraged him to maintain his strong pace through the turn. He was actually driving him easy, without using anything, but a flip at the reins to keep him trotting. He directed Axtell steadily, as he continued to look to his sides and behind him for any horse gaining on him. He was pleased and surprised on how easy it was to be winning this heat. He was enjoying the feeling of winning so much the heat ended too quickly. Axtell had trotted steady to win his first heat of his career on the circuit with an impressive time of 2:41 1/4.
It was exciting for Gilbert to see the victory go up on the board. He was near the owner of Senator Conkling, whose horse had just been beaten in the heat. The owner mentioned to his friend next to him, “I’ll be able to get some bets my way now. We had trouble cooling him down after the first race.” Miss Timms was not sitting with the owner this time, and had obviously found another place in which to watch the race.
When the call came for the third heat, Gilbert’s stomach was turning. He wanted to be close to the other owner again for the third heat. It was more difficult this time since the crowd had gotten larger and closer to the field for the final heat.
The odds were in favor of Senator Conkling, with Woodford Belle expected as a close second. They expected Golden Fleece to take third and Axtell bringing up the rear. Obviously, the crowd thought his last race was a fluke, so they didn’t expect him to fair well a second time.
The run up to start the race was clean and the race was on. Axtell’s gait was as grand as ever as he took the lead on the first stretch. Mr. Williams managed Axtell to the inside around the first turn. His gait continued to be clean and strong. He steadily pulled away from the pack around the first turn. He continued to pull away leaving all others well behind down the back stretch. Gilbert was in shock; the crowd was in shock. Axtell was in complete control of the race and showed no signs of wavering. The beautiful steady gait was impressive as he continued to increase his lead with every step.
There was silence in the crowd as he headed down the final stretch alone. By the time he had reached the finish line the crowd was cheering him on with great excitement. Axtell had distanced himself from the rest of the field and came in at an unprecedented world class speed of 2:31 ½ for the mile. It was a great accomplishment for any trotting horse to reach the 2:30 mark for the mile in a horse’s career. Axtell had nearly achieved that time in his first race as
a two- year-old.
After the race, many of the owners petitioned the race officials to disqualify Axtell since he was only two years old. Mr. Williams knew Axtell was not three years old, but did not want his two horses to race against one another. After the judges discussed the situation, it was decided to disqualify Axtell. Even though he was disqualified, the excitement he created stirred emotions.
Gilbert was taking care of the two horses, getting them ready for the return trip to Independence, when the lady reporter Miss Timms showed up at the stall. “Mr. Fenny.”
Gilbert turned around and stood up. Once he saw who had addressed him, he smiled broadly. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“I lost money on a small wager in the second race,” she said in a serious tone. “But a small wager in the last race, earned a good profit.”
“I am glad you were profitable,” Gilbert said without much enthusiasm. He had converted to Mr. Williams belief, that gambling was not a good idea for anyone.
“How did you know this horse would be so good in the last two races?”
“He is trained and bred as a great trotter. He certainly is a great trotter as we all saw today.” Gilbert not sure what the question was aiming at.
“Why was he so slow and awkward looking in the first race and turn out to be such a beautiful trotter?” She asked inquisitively.
Gilbert spoke sternly to her. “Mr. Williams was nervous. We were stupid and didn’t realize it before the first heat started.”
“You’re saying that Mr. Williams was nervous, and that is what made Axtell nervous?” She questioned.
“Don’t know,” he answered shaking his head. “It was just like that gentleman said. He would be upset by the crowd.”
Then she asked, “Did Mr. Williams hold Axtell back in the first race.”
Gilbert was a bit confused by the question, “No.”
“Did Mr. Williams make good money betting on Axtell?”
Gilbert suddenly realized she was trying to get a story of corruption about Mr. Williams. He answered her abruptly and firmly, “Mr. Williams does not gamble, he does not drink, he does not swear, he does not smoke. He is the most decent and honest man that I have ever known.” Gilbert turned around and began to rub Axtell’s legs down obviously upset and ignoring the now silent Miss Timms.
“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely, “If I didn’t ask these questions, someone else would.” There was a slight pause while she broke into a sweet smiled, “May I say that I do believe you. You appear, to me, to be a very reputable young man.”
Suddenly there was a commotion of people nearing the stalls. The crowd was full of reporters and they were shouting questions at Mr. Williams and Mr. Hussey. Gilbert could tell they were badgering questions about the race. The questions were the same questions Miss Timms had just been asking. Mr. Williams and Mr. Hussey were attempting to ignore the crowd of reporters.
“Gentlemen!” Miss Timms boomed out having to yell to be heard. “I have gotten the story from Mr. Fenny here! The poor horse was ailing in the first heat! The ailment was discovered and rectified prior to the second heat! That is why he performed poorly in the first race! I will also personally vouch for Mr. Williams as one of the most honest and brilliant horse breeders I have ever known! This horse is a legitimate contender!” She paused as she assessed their reaction. “That is all there is to it. We will all be excited to see how well they do in upcoming races.” She gestured for them to move out of the area.
She looked back with a smile at Gilbert and the other two men who were, gawking at her. Then she walked away followed by many of the other reporters. They seemed to be anxious to hear from her what the ailment was. Although Miss Timms was a young woman, she appeared to have great powers of persuasion over fellow reporters.
“Let’s go home,” Mr. Williams said. “We were disqualified, Gilbert.”
“Why?” He asked.
“Axtell is only two years old, in a three-year-old’s race.” Mr. Williams continued to explain seeing Gilbert was not completely understanding. “We broke the rules and I knew we broke the rules. The two-year-old’s race would not have been any competition for him.”
While they were preparing to leave, a group of representatives from the association sponsoring the race in Keokuk, approached them. One distinguished looking man stood in front of the others. Mr. Williams ignored them continuing to prepare to leave. These were the same men that just disqualified them from.
The lead man spoke, “We are very impressed with your horse Axtell, and would like to offer you a purse of two-hundred dollars, if you beat your race time of two-thirty-one and a quarter? If he can do that, well it would give our races some notoriety. You will have some publicity and two hundred dollars to boot.”
Mr. Hussey and Gilbert looked to Mr. Williams who thought a brief moment and responded with cordial dignity, “I except that challenge.”
“We would like you to stay for an attempt after the final races on the eleventh.”
“Fine,” Mr. Williams said abruptly and turned to tend to his horse.
On August 11th, 1888, the race against time was trotted. Axtell jogged magnificently around the track before receiving the word to start his attempt. The pace was quick but not quick enough. He was not able to beat the mark, but came up short in a time of 2:32 1/4. Even though Axtell had not beaten the time, he had shown his race time of 2:31 1/4 was not a fluke. The crowd was very supportive of Axtell and his owner.
Chapter Five
National Fame Comes Home
A few days later the papers around the state portrayed Axtell as overwhelmed with excitement in his first race, then settled down to show his true colors in the last two races in Keokuk. One of the articles also read how Mr. Williams was a great man of honesty and unorthodox breeding ideas. The publications described Axtell as a perfectly-gaited trotter and his gait was a pleasure to watch at any speed.
Mr. Williams was excited about the results in Keokuk. He was convinced that both his horses were destined to be great. He wanted to enter both horses in several more meets before the end of the 1888 racing season.
The next race Axtell was entered in was the Northwestern Breeders Meeting at Washington Park in Chicago on August 25th. They did not take Allerton to Chicago, wanting to concentrate on Axtell’s sudden popularity. Axtell was able to win his races easily, but did not lower his personal best time. Mr. Williams received an offer to race Axtell against his own record time of 2:31 1/4. The first attempt was successful, lowering his own record to 2:30 1/4. The ambition of the Northwestern Breeders was to have a two year old horse break the 2:30 mark, so Mr. Williams was invited to try again.
The next attempt would have to wait until after a saddle exhibition concludes. The forty minute delay allowed time for Axtell to cool down.
When the second attempt finally started, Axtell flew down the track and finished with a new world two-year-old’s record time of, 2:24 3/4. No one had considered the two-year-old’s 2:26 ½ record was in jeopardy. The judges were confused on how to rule on the attempt with an extended delay. It became clear, the exhibition had gotten off within the proper time frame set down in the rules. However, this did not stop other horsemen present from challenging the attempt. It was concluded that it wasn’t the fault of Mr. Williams and the record stood at 2:24 3/4. Despite the official judges ruling, Mr. Williams received criticism and accused of trickery by fellow horsemen.
In the first two meets Mr. Williams and Axtell participated in, they placed themselves in the history of harness racing in a big way. They were getting attention, and not all of it, good. There were prominent horsemen around the country who could not believe that this unknown breeder could breed such a horse. They contested the record set in Chicago.
The next race was anxiously awaited by Mr. Williams. He was wanting to dispel the controversy of the Chicago race by repeating it in Minneapolis. He was invited
by the Minneapolis Association for a purse of $500 to beat the undisputed two-year-old record of 2:26 ½ on August 30th. Axtell went off with great ease and flight of speed finishing under the wire at 2:24. This beat the record once again, putting to rest the controversy in Chicago by 3/4 of a second. This gave Axtell the undisputed two-year-old’s world record for trotting the mile.
The story of the horse from Iowa had spread across the country like wild fire. He was sought after by racing organizations all over the country. They wanted to have Axtell attempt to break his new record at their tracks to bring in large crowds and publicity. The word had gone around the circuit that Axtell was trotting these record breaking exhibitions with seemingly little effort. Mr Williams decided to race both horses in Des Moines, Iowa. Allerton won in three straight heats and a new best time for him of 2:48 ½.
Axtell won his races in the three-year-old category once again. It was for a purse of $580 and he won the first heat in a time of 2:43. He lost the second heat even though the time was an impressive 2:34. He won the next two heats in times of 2:35 3/4 and 2:38. The results were protested because he was only two-years-old racing in the three-year-old category. The judges sustained the protest and he was disqualified once again. Regardless of the disqualification, Axtell was gaining respect for himself and his owner.
Gilbert did not make the trip to Des Moines, but was excited to hear both horses had won. He did not hear of the disqualification until Mr. William’s return. The disappointment of Axtell’s disqualification did not upset Mr. Williams. His horse does so well and the fact other owners have to plea to judges to beat him. He smiled at the thought they could not beat him on the track.
The two horses raced in Independence for the county fair on the half mile oval track September 13th and 14th 1888. Allerton raced on the thirteenth for a purse of $110. He won easily with times of 3:03 3/4 and 2:56. Axtell was able to win his race for a small purse of $100. Mr. Williams confessed to Gilbert and Mr Hussey that he felt bad entering Axtell in a race that outclassed all other horses. Mr. Hussey told him the horsemen considered it an honor to have raced against Axtell.
Allerton and Axtell Page 12