Fresh Yankee and Men She Knew

Russ Doyle

Description

Fresh Yankee Is about Standardbred racehorse and the individual men involved in her fascinating journey to great stardom as she becomes the first Standardbred horse to win a million dollars in prize money in North America.
The book provides intriguing entertainment as the author pulls back the curtains for a glimpse into the challenging, and often passionate, interpersonal relationships among the men who owned, trained and drove Fresh Yankee.
Readers will have a ringside seat as the bidding to purchase the immature Fresh Yankee takes place, and her life towards development begins.
Those who are racehorse enthusiasts interested in bloodlines, breeding, care and training, as well as, historians interested in family histories and animal lovers will find great satisfaction in what the author desires to impart.

Sujets

• horses
• Histoire
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 25 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669855613
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

FRESH YANKEE AND MEN SHE KNEW
 
 
 
 
 
 
RUSS DOYLE
FRESH YANKEE AND MEN SHE KNEW
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photos Courtesy of the United States Trotting Association
 
 
Copyright © 2022 by Russ Doyle.
Library of Congress Control Number:2022921326
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-5562-0

Softcover
978-1-6698-5563-7

eBook
978-1-6698-5561-3
 
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
 
Rev. date: 11/25/2022
 
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
802237
CONTENTS
Thank You
Prologue
Chapter 1 KELLER, FRESH YANKEE - a winning combination
Chapter 2 FRESH YANKEE - an International champion
Chapter 3 DUNCAN MacDONALD -  was full of business
Chapter 4 DUNCAN MacDONALD - Fresh Yankee gold
Chapter 5 JOE O’BRIEN - a standout in harness racing
Chapter 6 JOE O’BRIEN - scores victory in Stakes’ debut
Chapter 7 RUSSELL FAMILY - a farm in play since 1832
Chapter 8 SANDERS RUSSELL - was truly professional
Chapter 9 DICK LOGUE - a long way from Londonderry
Chapter 10 GRATIS HANOVER - a proven champion
 
 

In Memory of my son
Bradley Joseph Doyle
February 25, 1965-November 13, 2019
THANK YOU
Bob Anderson, Lois Anderson, Stanley Bayless, Dan Bittle, Dr. Glen Brown, Murray Brown, Ann Clunko, Terry Connors, Anne Doyle, Sharon Francis, John Haig, Herbie Holland, Charlie Keller lll, Chaz Keller IV, Donald Keller, Tom Kouzmik, Mary Langer, Susan Logue, John MacAskill, “Wimp” McAllister, Duncan MacDonald, Glen MacDonald, John T. MacDonald, Joe MacDonald, Joe O’Brien, Kathryn E. Phillips, Emily Campbell Russell, Ernestine M. Russell, Sanders Russell, Sandy Van Horne, Dale Welk, Natasha Greenlee, Steve Greenlee, Eve Greenlee, Carter Greenlee and Dianne Whitesell.
PROLOGUE
There are no messages sent from Horse Heaven that allows one to foretell the arrival of any superstar foal. Any respectable horseman could confirm as much. But that’s how it was on May 8, in the spring of 1963, when the broodmare Pert Yankee took pause to present her second foal at the Yankeeland Farm – then considered a fledgling breeding centre, located flush on the fringe of the city of Frederick, in Frederick Co., Maryland. And no, boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy wasn’t at ringside to describe the actual fight once the emerging foal – named Fresh Yankee – finally punched her way through the birth canal for her first ingestion of life-giving oxygen. We were assured by Donald Keller, Jr., the son of Yankeeland Farm’s owner and founder, Charlie Keller, Sr., the usual sequence was followed, and there was nothing to distinguish the actual arrival of this filly from any other uncomplicated birth at the Farm. Son Donald Keller mentioned the foal required extra attention shortly after her birth. It seems, the filly was stricken with a protracted case of dysentery, lasting for months, before being brought under control. Aside from the miracle of birth itself, there was nothing extraordinary happening through those minutes when the emerging foal – coupling the genes of the sire Hickory Pride, and the dam Pert Yankee – was fighting its way through the amniotic sac.
For months Pert Yankee coddled the foal in the mother’s womb. Come birthing time, powerful bodily contractions from the mare pushed the foal forward, onward through the birthing canal, before being expelled - feet and head first. Mere seconds, upon disconnection of the placental cord, the floundering filly foal finally was ingesting those first breaths of life-giving oxygen that set her lungs in rhythm for the race through her lifetime. The filly rested a time sufficient to regain strength needed to balance on four spindly legs. The filly then ventured to find the mother’s udder. From there, she drew her first in-take of mother’s milk. Colostrum is the first fluid, rich in protein, secreted by the mother’s mammary glands for several days, after the birthing of the newcomer. Colostrum gave a kick-start to the foal’s immune system. In the instance of Fresh Yankee, the newborn foal was a filly. She wasn’t unlike any other filly birthed at the Farm.”
Donald Keller, the son of Yankeeland Farms’ maestro Charlie Keller ll, attested. “There was nothing suggesting the foal named Fresh Yankee could become a five-time World record holder, let alone being the first North American home-bred to break the $1-million barrier in lifetime earnings,” Donald was quick to add. That’s how it turned out for that precocious foal. The filly became a top trotting mare, after establishing five World, and track-record-setting times, for age, sex and gait over racetracks of different circumfrences, through eight years of competition at trotting’s highest level, on racetracks over two Continents, representing racetracks in the United States, Canada, and the States of Germany and Europe.
Included in laurels thrust Fresh Yankee’s way, was an honor the United States Trotting Association accorded while voting her the sport’s Harness Horse of the Year for 1970. The mare claimed victory over the vaunted French trotter Tidalium Pelo in the annual $125,000 Roosevelt International Trot in New York. She recorded 20 wins and 11 seconds, in 31 starts that year. The mare was the model of consistency, ringing up first and second place finishes in 51 consecutive races spanning the years October 9, 1969 through to July 9, 1971, where the mare finished first or second, while racing the World’s best trotters from Canada, the United States and Europe.
Farm employee Donald Keller – Charlie Keller ll’s son – matter-of-factly termed Fresh Yankee’s arrival as “another joyful event in the work-a-day world for those exposed to foaling upwards of 20, and more, foals per season,” as was the case at their ever-expanding Yankeeland Farm. Once the fledgling operators discovered their wings, they were able to challenge competitors for a greater share of the standardbred market. The Yankeeland band was continuously in growth mode. The push for prolific producers was more intensive in future years, once the Keller’s convinced clients they were purveyors of quality horses. Despite exposure to an adoring fandom, Charlie Keller ll was a highly reserved person, sometimes to an extreme. Family members knew he wouldn’t make a fuss about anything reflecting upon his personal success. He couldn’t understand people obsessing over any baseball player with a stature less than that of his former teammate, Joe DiMaggio. Often, Charlie was embarrassed when Yankees fans sought his autograph. He wasn’t comfortable making public appearances, although he forced himself to do so within his home community of Frederick, when sponsors of special events involving him, were acting in the interest of benefitting his city, and fellow citizens. Even though it was his preference to avoid the stage, and the adulation it provided. Keller ll was always one to give credit where it was due. In that vein, family members recalled the praise Charlie ll personally showered upon his horse, Fresh Yankee. “It was that filly,” Charlie ll asserted, “the one who attracted the least money of any Yankeeland horse consigned to a public sale, who brought prestige and stature to Yankeeland Farm. Fresh Yankee gave credibility to our breeding program. No other horse meant more to the success of our Farm, than Fresh Yankee.” It was a nice compliment Charlie ll directed Fresh Yankee’s way, considering the many starring colts and fillies the Farm consigned throughout Charlie’s years. Especially, coming as it did from a man not easily enticed to salute heroes. Charlie ll had a great sense of proportion - one that persuaded him the Fresh Yankee years was the marker in time he could clearly adopt as the turning point in his Farm’s future. Charlie Keller ll freely relayed his sentiments to all listening.
In the book “YANKEELAND – The Farm The Keller’s Built,” author Dean A. Hoffman proudly presented Charlie Keller’s contention – “Fresh Yankee did more than any other horse to bring prestige and stature to Yankeeland Farm .”
RUSS DOYLE
CHAPTER ONE
KELLER, FRESH YANKEE - a winning combination
Success breeds success! Nowhere could it be better demonstrated than in the story of Charles Ernest Keller II and his amazing climb to prominence as a truly outstanding Major League baseball player. His success was to be followed in quick succession by his guiding hand in the establishment of a major league horse Farm, for purposes of breeding, foaling, raising, racing, and selling of top-notch trotters and pacers. Born the son of Charlie Keller Sr., a struggling Maryland dairy farmer on September 12, 1916, Charlie II forged first a university degree from the University of Maryland and followed immediately into a Major League baseball career in years following the collapse of his dad’s Dairy Farm business, in 1933 - an after effect from the Great Depression of 1929. His father - Charlie Sr. - was struggling mightily to make good his 140-acre dairy farm, located on the outskirts of Middletown, MD – a village, housing upwards of 800 people – be