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PROMINENT CANADIAN OWNER IS DEAD. Was Man of Great Wealth and Ardent Turfman from His Boyhood Days. Toronto. Out.. March 22. — Robert Davies. owner of Thorncliffe Farm, died today after an illness dating back several years to an attack of apoplexy. He was a native son. born in Toronto in 1818, and had accumulated a great fortune, invested in land and buildings, breweries, brick works, paper mills and other remunerative assets. He had a lifelong connection with racing and breeding. When a lad of sixteen he rode Nora Cretan in the Queens Plate of 1st;.", run at London and won by Lady Norfolk. It was a mile heat race in those days. With a mare called Floss, which he leased at Fort Brie, he won the Plate at Kiagstoa in 1871. but in spite of his great resources of means and well bred horses he was never able to win with a horse of his own. The great desire of Canadian turfmen always eluded him. anil his name never appeared in the list of Plate winners except for that single instance. Always a breeder of thoroughbreds. Clydesdale and standard -bred horses, he became a few yean ago a more extensive owner of race horses than at any previous period. With the purchase of Plate Class for the purpose of winning the Duke of Con-naughts Cup in 1913. he began a highly successful period and was at the top of the list of winning owners in Canada with thirty-three races won of a value of over 3,000. Perhaps the best horse he ever bred was Thorncliffe. which accomplished little on the flat, but was up to winning through the field with as much as 190 pounds up and in the days of great steeplechasers. Mr. Davies was one of the first members of the Ontario Jockey Club, and a director for the ten years from MM to 1904, resigning the office of first rice-president in tin latter year. No announcement has been made as to the future of the lacing establishment, which is in charge of trainer Henry M Daniel, but it is expected that it will be continued by the estate. "King Dob." as Mr. Davies was known, was a big figure in the business affairs of Toronto.
