| Show Little More W Wrinkled tinkled Little More Bent Pop Is Back Spryer Than Ever EverS NEVER COE f S E WE JE MAW MANY BAD i HE 1 lf WILLING 10 z 7 TAKE A r A- A A PLENT OU JeNI OF MANY I IN JURIE f JED EP s tk 1 j S R 4 1 44 ON N NULT I e WHAT HAT BRAND D 10 IN I NOW HOW POP t j HEN VET J I I By Norman E. E Brown BrownA A BIT DI more bent A ABIT 1 A bit more stiff A hit bit more wrinkled An Anti And with a bit more moru of or that twinkle I in his track burnt eyes which hints at the tho optimistic makeup of or tho the man old Pop Geers Is la starting starting- another season season season sea sea- son on tho the Grand Circuit This d dean an anor of or all nil the lI light ht harness drivers Is ono one of or the men who really made maio the sport what it is today yet et no now with eighteen or twenty head of horses his usual number booked booke through the classes for tor the season ho Is read ready to take on tho young youns- whipper whippersnappers whippersnappers whippersnappers snappers and the rest of at them When ones one's attention Is Ia called to the tho fact tact that Pop started racing back in the early earb that SOs that he ho homade made the state of ot Tennessee famous as a a. racing center a few cars later with two horses Annie W W. W and Mattic Hunter It is hard bard to believe that this Is the tho same man who Is climbing climbing- Inand in inand In Inand and out of- of ot orthe the racing sulky da day In Inand Inand inand and day out The story of or how Pop climbed to fame In Sn the game has been written scores of times His famo fame In Tennessee Ten Pren- led to greater things He lIe went to Village Illabo Farms and made that eastern estate famous as a homo home of ot light harness stars tars In Tl Thirty Years Wins in Purses In 1890 the first year in which hi lit- started out to clean UI up In purse racing he ho collected purses totaling over Between that an anthe and the year rear the world war broke out he heIm Im hud had won over o In purses Just what portion of or this prize money Pop collected collect cd as gifts from pleased owners or In business agreements Isn't known But nut tIle the demand for Cor or his services as trainer and driver has always brought him a no comfortable corn com om- om Corta le income so 80 that it has been lIeen and ad main since had hail llian an many a R year Pop to worry For or mall many sea seasons ons Geers has handled the stable stallo of or Frank G G. I Jones Jonc Memphis hl millionaire The he grand old man has hns produced a good many stars for tor Jones and each beason season sea ilea son lands tho the Jones horses well up In tho winning money list The two men are aro great at friends Jones frequently drives his bin entry In a but race but not when he ho thinks Geers' Geers hands are arc needed on the reins Geers era has hns produced a number number num num- ber of other horses which tho two men were t smart mart enough h to see sec as great steeds In tho the making early In iii their careers Etawah tho the great stallion which was purchased L by Jones Just after aCter It had started to thunder Its wa way through the Hie Grand Circuit under tinder tho ho ownership of or tho the Whitehead While Brothers was on only I one of these Geers Trains Colt Named After Alter Himself This Tills spring spring- the tho pet Iet of or the Geers' Geers stable Is Goers Geers Geers Isn't Pop POI himself or a little kitten or mascot Its It's a year two trotter The rue colts colt's father Is the lie aforementioned aforementioned afore afore- mentioned Etawah and Its mother Is 15 Dudlo Dudle Archdale lal a wonderful horse that Geers drove dro to a cleanup on tho the circuit for tor Jones Yh When n tho ho colt was born and folks got sot thinking about a name Jones Tones to call It Geers Goers said Were Vere going going- lies He's the man who mado made both its mother and father r famous Camous With the breeding It has and tho the training it will get gel the colt may prove lone one of the greatest horses of ot the game I I know now of or no better wa way of or sh showing Pop what we think of him So Pop was told And he probably said Well ell youve you've given him an awful handicap to start Lart with but Ill I'll do tho best I can cin to help heli him live lI it down or something equally equal equal- ly as modest Geers' Geers bent form torm and his crooked legs come equally from the tho close to half halt a century he lie has been perched up behind the trotters and pacers and from the innumerable accidents he has had on the track Many an of these accidents accidents accidents ac ac- ac- ac were serious enough to cause the doctors to urge him to give up tho the sulky But Pop couldn't quite see it Keeping Step VithOld With WithOld Withold Old Man Ian Progress Pop has been stepping right along with old man progress though despite tho the fact that most of ot his waking hours for tor the tho last odd forty years ears have ha been spent at race raco tracks When flivvers ers first became quite quito the thing Pop even had bad one of or them If H I remember ho hoit kept It until one day it tried to push J him up a tree when ho began to crank it it- He lie sure bure Is a a. wonderful man Whether heth hether er he has finished among tho the losers or tho the winners during tho the days day's racing you'll hear as man many words about Pop POI Geers as you ou will about nil all tho the other people events e and happenings happ of the theda da day when you file tile out of ot a 30 Grand Circuit Cir cult meeting He lie has been a big lg co cog cog- cogin In making the lie circuit tho the clean pow powerful organIzation organization organization organ organ- It is although he lie is interested in tho ho game Jame from the training and driving an angle Ie and not the gate cate receipts or the capital end Ho lIo has helped keep tho the clean by his conscientious driving and his frankness in Investigations Investigations- Judges have slapped on fines or penalties for pulling or whee wheeling Un In races In which Geers has driven but it never has lias beon been Pop who tried to pull pall ort off tho the dirt dirty work Of late years ca s 's his personality and hi his hia fame rame alone made him a wonderful wonder wonder- ful tul drawing drawIng- card ard rd with Ith tho the fans tans who know nothing of rac races race S. S The opening o of th the Grand CIrcuIt Circuit Cir CIr- cult at North Nort Randall Randa Jul July Jul r C 5 found round another another an an- other pioneer horseman waiting to hobnob with Ho is Frank FranJ Caton Tho The two started racing about the same time Caton however became attracted attract attract- ed to the forel foreign n interest In irs horses and racing and twenty or more years ears ago alO went abroad to pursue tho tIm sport H Hewon He lie won fume fame and riches galore driving ln for Cor man ninny many crowned heads |
