view raw text
G. R. "BUDDY" WINGFIELD NARRAGANSETT- STARTER .- -- PAWTUCKET, R. I., April 28. G. R. "Buddy" Wingfield arrived at Narragansett Park today to accept the most important assignment of his career, the post of starter, succeeding the veteran Harry Morrisey. Wingfield is well qualified for his new job. One of the younger racing officials, he is also one of the most popular. He was highly interested in racing as a boy and often accompanied his father, a race bookmaker before the days of pari-mutuel wagering, to the tracks in Kentucky. He eagerly grasped the opportunity to exercise horses and developed into a qualified jockey. Wingfield had a natural aptitude for handling horses. He became an assistant to the veteran Tom Brown, but unlike most starters, served only a short apprenticeship on the ground crew before his big opportunity came to send the field away. He first served as a starter in 1922 at Erlanger, Ky., and his good work there resulted in his rapid ascension to important posts at Chicago, Detroit, the Canadian tracks and Florida. I : 1