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AN OLDTIMEE AT WOODBINE One of the most interesting and most interested of yesterdays visitors was W II Williams for ¬ merly sporting editor of The Globe Mr Williams had not seen racing at Woodbine since 188S when Harry Cooper won the Queens Plate two and twenty years ago and though be found many old friends among yesterday Ts assemblage be also missed the presence of many who had been prominent figures In his time A score of years is a long period In a mans life and the surroundings have radically changed On the day that Cooper won the Plate the present writer and Mr Williams rode in a horse car to the Don which then marked the city limits and walked on to the Morin House at the corner of Leslie street now Doc Simons Duke of York Hotel the place adjoining being then Calenders Hotel Here were stabled most of the few horses that were intended to race at Woodbine The only stabling at tbe race track in ose days was the red barn back of the clubhouse After an In ¬ spection of the horses at the Morin House and Cal lenders and a good country dinner at the former place tlie next proceeding was to stroll on to Dick OLearys place at the corner of Queen street and Greenwoods avenue Dick kept hotel and trained and rode race horses and stabled a few from out of town On this occasion liehad charge of Harry CK per ridden to victory by his son Charlie CharlieWoodbine Woodbine was reached an hour or so before racing began and there was no hurry or bustle In those days The Plate had 7 added Instead of the 4000 giveii by thaOntariotJockey Club today 3Q going to second and 25 to third Harry Cooper won easllv from Kvangcline ridden by Allle Gates and Cast Oft riddon by Charlie Butler was third Two races a day were ordinary tasks for horses then and Kvangeline ran again iii the Heltcr Skelter Steeple ¬ chase the last race of the afternoon Charlie Phair had the mount but tlie Long Taw mare afterwards n most reliable performer refused and unseated Plialr Dr Smiths Chandos won tbe hunters flat race ridden by AHie Loudon now secretary of the Ilamiltou Jockey Club and another of yesterdays visitors Tim Blongs Trustee was second and T P Plielan rode his own Ahorse Driftwood into third place Trustee also runti second time that day winning the Ilelter Skelter in which Mr London was second on Dr Smiths Inspire Tlie Woodbine Steeplechase was won by Williams ridden by John Graver and in this race Bellevne fell with John R Walker now training for Mr Davies Two Plate winners Williams and Villie W were named for Mr Williams whose raciiig reports were lienntifiillr written and interesting stories not duplicated now ¬ adays when there is sncli ah abundance of racing that brief notes and tlie summary of the form chart have replaced them though they have nor taken their place placeThe The sobriquet of Bilckboard Williams attached to him been use of an expedition IIP made into the then unknown Northwest Of Canada before the Cana ¬ dian Pacilic Railway wasbuilt much of the jour ¬ ney in the wilderness being made in a buckboard wagon Ilis letters t V The Globe gave the people of eastern Canada practically fheir first general knowl ¬ edge of the great land of promise as far as the foot hills of the Rockies Some of them came written oh birclsbark the supply of stationery giving out outMr Mr Williams who spent most of the time since leaving The Globe iii New Orleans is now living in Pembroke Francis Nelson in Toronto Globe
