”1% Bo raig

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and foundation in the industry that was to be his vocation for life. In the early years, he also got tips and advice from horsemen like Len O'Meara and Harold Stead. Harold Stead used trotting hob— bles then on Big Boy. That was the first time that Bobby Craig had ever seen them. For years horsemen were ashamed to use trotting hobbles but today they are taken for granted and used on some of the best trotters in the world.

In 1958 Bob Craig opened his own pub— lic stable and that year he raced at Rideau Carleton in Ontario. The following year he moved back to Charlottetown where he trained horses for H.B. Willis. In 1960, he had Perfect Hal for George Gregory, Traffic Chief for Doctor Temple Hooper, My Darling, Miss Wilmaclale and Cecil Heromine for Wendell Barbour, and Mr. jollscott for Doug Hill.

This Islander's first official drive was at Connaught Park in Ottawa in 1958 and the horse was Gertie High. He didn't win that race nor any race all that year but he did get a bunch of seconds and thirds. He recorded his first win while driving Basil’s Girl for Reg MacKenzie. This trot— ter won in 2:19 and it was at the C.D.P. in 1959. The fastest race he ever won was in 2:00 by Good Advice for Hollis Jenkins. Bob competed in races under 2:00 but never recorded a victory under 2:00.

He described some of his top horses in

the following manner, “Sugar Skipper was an awfully good mare that I raced for a

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Behnd the Gate

number of years. Colgans Comet was an honest horse; he would never make a break nor get you in t'ouble; he still holds the trotting recorl of 2:052 in Summerside. Espoir Goal equalled the trotting record in Monct<n in 2:004. I had Simcoe for Hon. Earl Rowe. I changed Absolute Prooffnm a pacer to a trotter and in six weeks le won the Tom Claybourne Memorial at tle C.D.P. I sold him for $6,000 and he nov has a mark of 1:58 with $60,000 made n two years in Montreal and other tracks”

This horseman stated enphatically that Colgcm’s Comet was the )est horse that he had and probably w<uld ever have. He was an honest trotter vho had to race against the best pacers hroughout the Maritimes. When you lI:V€ a horse set track records for you anc then move to Montreal as a three-year-old and in four starts be elevated to the hvitational and race there every week, he has to be your favorite horse.

The race that Bob will ntver forget was when he raced Good Aclvce in the Gold Cup and Saucer. That w;s an exhilarat— ing experience and one tiat all Atlantic drivers dream about. He ,lidn't win that race but he was in it.

Racing enthusiasts will renember when drivers raced only two pats of the mile. There was a dash into the list turn to get position. You would ne‘er move your horse until the top of the stretch. Then there was a dash to the vire. The big