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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-07-13, Page 71 • t • Tom Yearley Horseman fetedat Clinton Veteran Exeter area harness horseman, Thomas Yearley, will be honoured at the first of three- twi-light race Meets, starting tonight, July 13, at, the Clinton Kinsmen Raceway. Mr. Yearley, 83, has been connected with harness racing for 60 years as an owner, driver and trainer, and just gave up active participation in the sport in 1976, when he stopped training at the Exeter track. Born and raised on, a farm in Stephen Town- ship, Mr. Yearley has been involved with standar& bred horses since 1917, when he traded his horse and buggy with a hired man dawn the road for a pacer called Roy Grattan. He took Roy to Goderich in July of that year, won the $80 first prize, and has never looked back. After a race in Mitchell in 1918, Mr. Yearley sold Roy, who went on to become one of Canada's great pacers, just barely losing one particular race in 1 :59 in 1922. Over the last six decades, Mr. Yearley has owned and raced many great horses, including Louie Grattan, who went on to become the world chamaion pacing mare in 1920, taking a mark of 2:00 for the mile. Mr, • Yearley remem- bers well the Dominion Day in 1918 when he raced Louie in Goderich, it snowed! In those days.., Mr. Yearley would drive his horse the 35 miles from Crediton to Goderich one day, race the next, and then drive back the third day. All races until the late 1950's. were conducted at one or two day fairs, and the horses had to go three races a day" to get any money. Even at that, the winning horse took home only 40 percent of the purse, which seldom topped the $1,000 mark even for the best horses. That kind of racing was tough on horses, but Mr. Yearley owned and drove one of the tougher ones, Amber Grattan, who won 49 out of 62 heats in five months, between May 24 and October 22 in 1949. In fact, with Mr. Yearley handling the reins, Amber won 29 of her last 30 starts that year. "We would have won 30 for 30 except for my fault," Mr. Yearley said in a recent interview, "I thought we had it won and quit with her." Rut lurk turned nrninCt Mr. Yearley, and he lost Amber Grattan and another promising horse," Buddy 'Grattan in a disastrous fire at the Exeter Fairgrounds in 1950 Over the years, Mr. Yearley, while still farming, managed to race at nearly every fair and major 'track in this part of Ontario, at places like Rodney, Tillsonburg, New Hamburg, Goderich, Ridgetown, Sarnia, Strathroy, Palmerston, and major tracks like Woodbine, London and the now defunct Dufferin Park in Toronto. Although he had to stop driving when he turned 75, according to Canadian 'Trotting Association rules, Mr. Yearley continued to train horses until 1976 when part of the Exeter track was lost to the recreation centre. He will be honoured at a trackside ceremony at the Clinton track tonight, during Exeter night, and the featured race of the night, a preferred han- dicapped, has been called the Tom Yearley Pace. A special blanket, donated , by Ron Swartz and Exeter area horsemen, will be presented to the winner of that race. Ramblings from the races By Lois Gibbings Dapper Dillon, owned by Doreen Rowcliffe of Hensall and Barry Elliott of Kitchener, trotted his fastest mile this year, in 2:01.1, in winning the -$9,000 trot at Greenwood Raceway in Toronto on Monday night, July 10. The outstanding seven- year-old gelding by Dapper Hill -Ann Key has four wins and two seconds from nine starts for 1978 earnings of $23,820. Last -,:year, Dapper Dillon,'raced 35 times with 16 wins, seven seconds and four thirds, good for • $119,365 and a record of 2:00.x2. Lifetime he now has $179,955. Terry Kerr is trainer and driver of the speedy trotter that was raised at Clinton by George F. Elliott of Rattenbury St. G. G. BLady was second for co-owner C. W. (Jiggs) LeBeau of Brucefield and trainer - driver Bud Fritz at Owen Sound on July 5. Miss Blaze Mac finished second in a 2:05.3 mile for owners Orville Workman of Kippen, Jack Harris and Lloyd Workman at Flamboro Raceway on July 5, Dennis Jewitt of Clinton was fourth with Jo Spinner for Franc Stroop of Fordwich on Thursday night. Royal J. R. was a winner in 2:01.3 for owner 'Wayne Horner of Brucefield at Greenwood on Friday night. At Hanover on Saturday night, Metric Time was driven 'to a second place finish. by Dennis Jewitt in a 2:13.1 mile in -his first lifetime start. The three-year-old gelding by Record Time - Maisie Belle, is owned by Larry Da*bf Clinton and Claude DaW of Mississauga, and is trained at Clinton! by Walter Oster. Janet Express, owned by Bob and Beryl Faulds of Clinton, won the second race, timed in p,2:10..2. Last year the nine-year- old mare by Express Chief -Ida Gardner, started 21 times with four wins, four seconds and three thirds.. Her best record is p, 2:07.4. Jack Meriam was fourth with Reggie Ford for owner Charles Brindley of Goderich in the sixth.'Iron Lassie, a five-year-old mare by Iron Rail -Miss Jean LaSalle, lowered her record to 2:06.4 whe' she had her third win of the year for owner Bert McBride of Goderich with Bud Fritz on the bike. Claybrook Romeo was second with Jack Meriam up for Charles Brindley while Ini.p Mathers "finished third for the Broken M. Stables of Goderich. Sunday Topic was 'fourth for owner Ron McBride of Goderich in the tenth. Randy McLean 1; was third with his Scat Man at Flamboro on Saturday night. The same night at Dresden, Earl Hyatt drove Tarus to a second place finish for owner Frank. Johnston of Goderich in a 2:05.1 mile. On Sunday afternoon at Clinton Kinsmen Raceway, Ron Waples drove Billy Wave through a terrific first quarter in :29.3, a half in 1:01.4, the three-quarters in 1,:35 and Turn to ;mac 1 1 • 1 Tom Yearley, a veteran horseman from the Exeter area will be honored tonight at the first of three special twilight horse races at Clinton starting at 5: 15. (News -Record photo) 1 CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JULX J3,1.978, Goderich Township baseball report Lady Luck shone down on us this past week, as most of our teams reported wins. On Monday night the Pee Wee "A" team won over Varna, while "B" team sat this week out. Meanwhile the Midget boys played against each other in Holmesville with Don Duff's team vic- torious. On Tuesday night the Midget Girls defeated �'r "- tl,.;• ,,• !�i!' them Pep r.� Wee Girls lost to Stanley "B". Ken has had a problem getting enough girls out for each game. We hope that will soon be cleared up. On Wednesday night the' Tykes downed the Varna Tykes. There were some pretty happy faces coming home. There are still a few children who have not paid their $2.00 registration fee. R.K. PECK APPLIANCES "In The Heart of Down Town Varna" • Vacuum Cleaners - Sales and Service of most makes • CB Radios and Accessories • • Speed Queen Appliances • Moffat Appliances • Smoke Sensors • Insect Lights and Fly Killing Units • Handcrafted Gifts Varna, Ont. Phone 482-7103 a.. j • •x• • SHOP THESE WEEKLY STAR STUDDED SPECIALS Johnson's BABY OIL V05 SHAMPOO ONLY 1.7 HAIR SPRAY rift WET ONES .o. $1 .09 41, MOUTHWASH =s o=. $ 1. % 9 POLIDENT ONLY Denture Cleaning 'rabies 32169 TR IAr c3 LE DISC DUNT . fro 5$ dile Square, GODERICN/Mahn Corner, CLINTON /Main Corner, SEAFORTH The column that's reed faro ilvrpose,,., 1," PAGE 7 by Scotty Hamilton 1 Mali your problems to "Impact" cfo this paper. All letters will be answered provided a stamped addressed en- velope is enclpsRd. Some of general in- terest will be published. Letters must be'slgned but we will NOT reveal your identity. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE "These Questions and Answers based on Dotard Law. are published to inform and not to advise. No one should ti y to apply Or interpret the law without the aid and advice of a trained expert who knows the facts. since the facts of each case May change the application of the law." A Syndicated Canadian, Newspaper .Feature Ball It klatch LTD. HOME FURNISHINGS I FLOOR COVERINGS CARPETING 482- 9505 71 ALBERT ST. CLINTON SEes° 1ING • ECONOMY • QUALITY • SERVICE "Big lobs or small, We guarantee them all." 482-7374 CLINTON I SHOULD RECOVER cartage charges from a furniture store. When the driven came, the chesterfield wouldn't fit into the elevator and hac1 to be carried up six flights. He asked me for 53 a floor and I paid him $18 but the salesman at the store said there wouldn't be any charge. WE CAN'T BLAME the cartage man for wanting something extra for backstrain in this case, but the store had given him no' explicit .instructions about making a charge. "We're under no legal obligation to carry furniture up the number of floors this chesterfield was carried," said their manager. "We leave it to the discretion of the customer and the driver." The driver here didn't turn in the $18 he received. He's no longer with the store but they are giving our reader an $18 credit toward any purchase she wants. ROWS SUNOCO GAS BAR & VARIETY 192 HURON ST. CLINTON I injured my back at work as a nurses aid in a nursing home, and 'duly filled in the workmen's compensation board application for a disability pension. I have received no money since early June, only a note ad- vising me that they were awaiting another , medical report, Now I get word from Canada Pension that I won't receive a disability pension from them. All this after my doctor confirms the fact that I have to wear a back brace at all times. I live alone and need this money badly. A FURTHER MONTH'S payment from the compensation board has been sent to our reader, as her doctor confirmed that she cannot return to her pre -accident duties. She has been advised of the board's rehabilitation department and a counsellor will call. The Canadian Home In- sulation Program now covers homes built prior to 1946. You may be eligible for grants up to '350.°tl for materials. Ask us for details. GODERICH INSULATION FOR FREE ESTIMATES CALL 524-6844 SAVE ENERGY BLOWN CELLULOSE FIBRE CMHC APPROVED FIRE & VERMIN RESISTANT RES -IND -COMM FREE ESTIMATES SCOTT PEARSON • Weddings • Passports • Industrial work Quo BY JAMES , FITZGERALD 482-9502 or 482-3890 I'm an avid stamp collectorand like most collectors, I read stamp magazines and newspapers. I saw an ad in a stamp collectors' newspaper published in Ohio and it really interested me. It said I could buy $500 worth of special stamps for $99. I sent the newspaper the money in September but didn't get my stamps. I wrote them two letters but they didn't answer me. We wrote to the stamp collectors' paper and -they talked to the man who placed the ad in their paper. He misplaced' your order and that's -why you didn't get your stamps. You have your special stamps plus a little bonus for all your inconvenience -- a Russian mint stamp valued at 084,