Bi orn 
     
    
   
   
    
     clusion of each race. Bill calculated what 
     
     the win tickets would pay while Pius 
     
     Callaghan and Russel St. john did the 
     
     place and show pays respectively. 
     
    
   
   
    
     When Frank “Duck” Acorn’s career as 
     
     announcer ended, Bill became the new 
     
     announcer at the C.D.P. and he per— 
     
     formed this role for almost two years 
     
     before passing it on to a youthful Ed 
     
     Watters. At that time, the new position of 
     
     track charter was introduced to the C.D.P. 
     
     He was assisted by either his wife, Mary 
     
     or his son, Wylie for each race card as 
     
     assistant charter. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I asked Bill what he did as a track char- 
     
     ter. Without hesitation he confidently 
     
     responded, “For 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. I 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 Trotting 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 
     
     verify with the judges or examine a tape 
     
     of the race in recent years. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Horse racing was always a part of Bill 
     
     Acorn’s family. His father, Ed, was an 
     
     owner of horses and a timer at the C.D.P. 
     
     for years. Bill’s brother, “Duck", was 
     
     involved with racing at the GDP. for all 
     
     of his adult life. Bill loved the sport and 
     
     he once owned a horse with Emmett 
     
     MacDonald and Reid McKenna. This trio 
     
     owned Rush Hal for two years and 
     
     placed him in the stables of joe 
     
     Hennessey and Clark Smith. 
     
    
   
   
    
     One of Bills best experiences during his 
     
     lengthy tenure at the C.D.P. occurred 
     
     when he and his son Billy went to 
     
     Halifax to take the examinations to 
     
     become a track charter. He was a little 
     
     nervous before the tests but was very 
     
     happy with the results. His son finished 
     
     with the highest mark and Bill was sec— 
     
     ond highest from the group that took the 
     
     examinations. It made him feel very 
     
     good and very proud of his son. 
     
    
   
   
    
     “For each race, I must chart the position for each horse at each quarter 
     
     and at the top of the stretch. I must also chart each quarter that a 
     
     horse is par/eea’ out. I must also chart at what quarter a 
     
     horse malees a hreale. I must also chart the number 
     
     of lengths each horse ts behind the leader for each 
     
     quarter and at the top of the stretch.” 
     
    
   
   
    
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