Handbook N-P - Fulton County Public Library

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The story deals with the entire racing career of the Green Oak farmer and will give the
reader a clear conception of the high esteem which the horse-racing world holds for the Fulton
county harness horse breeder.
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THE PACING FARMER
“Almost every two or three years for the past thirty seasons, there has been a farmer
trainer ship in from his sandy farm near Rochester, Ind., with a pacer that as Bob Brawley
remarked one time, ‘Could buhn up the tracks.’ The farmer’s name was O. M. Powell, and his
home village was Rochesetr, Ind., his outfit was generally pretty plain, of the home-made type.
But when he shipped to a Grand Circuit meeting at Cleveland, Toledo, or any other first meeting
of the year, he always had something that could step about, practically always a pacer that
emanated from some mare of obscure breeding.
“About a quarter century ago Mr. Powell entered and shipped up to the early Michigan
short ship circuit. His principal campaigner was a roan mare named Dora D by RainDrop 9546,
he by General Wilkes dam Daisy W by Young Jim, breeding of an earlier day. A frugal man by
instinct, he camped out with his horses, carried a skillet and may have brought along from is
Indiana farm a side of bacon and some eggs, more than one early day campaigner, carried a
portable hotel and the writer thinks instinctively of some leaders in the sport today, who give
orders to their butler, his chauffeur and a few other servants, that then rode the rods in their early
days, often shipped by hand - or over the road from town to town, also lived confortably out of a
portable, fair grounds frying pan.
Boots Dora To Victory
“On one occasion Mr. Powell was having a tight fit race at Jackson, Mich., and in the
heat of finish battle lost his whip. So to encourage Dora D he proceeded to kick Dora D
vigorously on the rump thereby winning a race. As has been his custom for I presume forty years,
Mr. Powell is now 78 years of age, but a frugal farm life has kept him healthy and young looking,
still able to farm, and train a colt or two on the side. Dora D was retired to the farm and to the
brood mare ranks, and it seemed only overnight until he appeared at the North Randall track with a
roan pacer appropriately named The Farmer. Mr. Powell was not forgotten when men were
endowed with native keenness, as one day about noon when the talent was crossing the track, Mr.
Powell aird The Farmer a glib mile.
“Farmer” Sells High
“It happened at a time when a soon mile would sell a horse quickly and if the owners
outfit seemed a little passe, and the trainer was not recognized as one of the leaders of the profesh,
then scouts began scouting the horse immediately, often there was a regular foot race to buy the
demon pacer. That was especially true on the case of The Farmer. In other hands The Farmer
took a record of 2:05 1/4 and Mr. Powell carried home a bundle of money.
“A little later the Indiana farmer came on the stage with a brown pacer, named Colonel
Strong, whose dam was Maud, a daughter of Dora D 2:12 1/4 by Rain Drop. Old fashioned blood
of course, but somehow some of that old blood when crossed with something near-up to the elite
blood of that day and age, there came forth a pacer that could mizzle. Colonel Strong was just that
sort exactly as when Maud was crossed with Colonel Armstrong 2:05 1/4, a good horse for Mr.
Powell and a better one for Charley Valentine, when the Ohio man was one of the best trainers in
the harness horse pastime. Maud was not so plebian bred as she was by Indiana Dan Patch 39605,
son of the champion Dan Patch 1:55 1/4, also an Indiana bred freak pacer. Maud went back along
the old beaten breeding path to Deck Wright 2:09 3/4, a pacing hero in Indiana many years ago.
Bred to Hal Dale 2:02 3/4, and let it be known that farmer Powell, when he liked a stallion, he
layed down his corn money to patronize him. When Maud was mated with Hal Dale 2:02 1/4 sire
of Adios II 2:02, leading money winning pacer of 1942, and the $9,000 Good Buy she produced
Lady Hal. When Lady Hal was bred to Walter Cochato 2:02 1/4, the northern Indiana farmer
came out two years later with a filly named Lady Hal, which set a new world’s record for yearling
pacers of 2:14 3/4, going farther along the road to fame by taking a record of 2:06 1/2 at two years,