view raw text
HOW GEORGE DURKER BECAME AN OWNER. It was by a stroke of circumstance that George Durker, owner of Rosevale and other horses that raced at Oakland the past winter, came to embark in racing. He was :i cigar manufacturer of New York, back in the eighties, having learned the trade when a boy, and one day his business interests carried him to the country. There one of his customers had a hard luck tale to unfold which culminated in the proposal of a proposition whereby Mr. Durker would lK-conie owner of a thoroughbred for the total of 2. Mr. Durker was not greatly impressed, but to help the fellow out lie led away a horse named Red Robin and made a "bush" meeting campaign witli Iii in. Tho plater won several races for him and this inllncnced Mr. Durker to buy more horses. In 1892 he raced around Gloucester, X. J., and had some experience racing running horses in the snow. Mr. Durker has also campaigned trotting horses on the ice at meetings in Canada.
