Bill Aeorn 
     
    
   
   
    
     clusion of each race. Bill calculated what 
     
     the win tickets would pay while l’ius 
     
     Callaghan and Russel St. John did the 
     
     place and show pays respectiyely. 
     
    
   
   
    
     When Frank “Duck" Acorns career as 
     
     announcer ended. Bill became the new 
     
     announcer at the C.l).l). and he per— 
     
     formed this role for almost two years 
     
     before passing it on to a youthful Ed 
     
     \Yatters. At that time. the new position of 
     
     track charter was introduced to the (1.1).1’. 
     
     He was assisted by either his wife. Mary 
     
     or his son. \‘C’ylie for each race card as 
     
     assistant charter. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I asked Bill what he did as a track char— 
     
     ter. \V'ithout hesitation he confidently 
     
     responded. "l’or each race. I must chart 
     
     the position for each horse at each quar— 
     
     ter and at the top of the stretch. I must 
     
     also chart each quarter that a horse is 
     
     parked out. I must also chart at what 
     
     quarter a horse makes a break. 1 must 
     
     also chart the number of lengths each 
     
     horse is behind the leader for each quar- 
     
     ter and at the top of the stretch. All of 
     
     this information is charted and compiled 
     
     for each horse after each race for the 
     
     Canadian 'l'rotting Association and for 
     
     future race programs to assist patrons in 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
     Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     making a wager” Bill and an assistant 
     
    
   
   
    
     charter compiled this data. The judges 
     
     also watched each race carefully and Bill 
     
     explained that. if necessary. he would 
     
     yerify with the judges or examine a tape 
     
     of the race in recent years. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Horse racing was always a part of Bill 
     
     Acorns family. Ilis father. Ed. was an 
     
     owner of horses and a timer at the C.l).l’. 
     
     for years. Bill‘s brother. “Duck”. was 
     
     inyolyed with racing at the (2.13.1). for all 
     
     of his adult life. Bill lo\ ed the sport and 
     
     he once owned a horse with Emmett 
     
     MacDonald and Reid McKenna. This trio 
     
     owned lx’ttsh Hal for two years and 
     
     placed him in the stables of .loe 
     
    
   
   
    
     liennessey and Clark Smith. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ()ne of Bills best experiences during his 
     
     lengthy tenure at the (3.1).1’. occurred 
     
     when he and his son Billy went to 
     
     Halifax to take the examinations to 
     
     become a track charter. lie was a little 
     
     nervous before the tests but was Very 
     
     happy with the results. His son finished 
     
     with the highest tnark and Bill was sec 
     
     ond highest from the group that took the 
     
     examinations. It made him feel very 
     
     good and yery proud of his son. 
     
    
   
   
    
     “For each race, I must chart the position/or each horse at each quarter 
     
     and at the top of the stretch. I must also chart each quarter that a 
     
     horse is parleecl out. I must also chart at what quarter a 
     
     horse malees a hrea/e. 1 must also chart the number 
     
     of lengths each horse is behind the leader/or each 
     
     quarter and at the lop of the stretch. 
     
    
   
   
    
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