view raw text
EUGENE LEIGHS BEGINNING AS A TRAINER. The success of H. Eugene Leigh in France has lately been a topic carrying much interest among horsemen in this country, where the former master of La Belle Stud is so widely known. The Cincinnati Enquirer credits this story of Mr. Leighs entre to the turf world to an old-time jockey: "There has been a lot said alout Mr. Leigh ns to how he made his way and what ho did. 1 knew Mr. Leigh before he was a horse trainer. He was running a kitchen and fed Colonel Bob Pates stable help. Leigh had a horse at that time by the name of Avery, which won at long odds at Latonia. That knocks out the story of Rambler being the first one that Leigh owned. Avery came some time before Rambler. An Englishman of the name of Harry Brown was training the Pate horses at that time. He was brought to this country by Freddie Gebhard, and had trained Eolus and Hole. He was a very fine man. I happened to lie with the stable at that time and you can imagine how surprised we were when Mr. Leigh walked into the barn with a telegraphic order from Mr. Pate directing that the horses be turned over to him. That made trainer Leigh. He was an awfully lucky man, this Mr. Leigh. Colonel Pate had a no-account horse of the name of Embargo. He gave, him to Leigh, and the latter started him at Nashville and he finished next to last, but the judges niade a mistake and placed him second, and it stuck, too. Mr. Leigh was a smart man and he has a patent running for him in the portable horse stalls that arc used on all express cars in this country."