The first three-year-old to beat 2:00

His whole life is spectacular. He was the best trotter in his generation, even though his trainer was skeptical and at 2 felt the horse should be gelded and turned out. His stallion performance was equally fantastic and the events surrounding his death has become the stuff of legends.

Mr McElwyn was bred by William Herbert Lee McCourtie, originally from Michigan but relocated to Dallas, Texas, where he, according to the Wikipedia page W.H.L. McCourtie Estate, “made a fortune in the oil business.” He had one single broodmare, Widow Maggie, who had previously produced Herbelwyn 2:05 3/4 (1.18,2). When the colt was a yearling, McCourtie asked Ben White to train him, and was delighted when the champion trainer said yes. William Henry Gocher, in his book Racealong, tells the story from Ben White’s perspective: “That evening Mr. Ellis and I were sitting in front of my stable at the track when WHL McCourtie drove up in a taxi. He called me aside and asked if I would train a colt for him. I told him that I would be pleased to. He then told me that he had a yearling by Guy Axworthy out at Walnut Hall Farm and that when I got around to it I could telephone them to bring him over to the track, and send him the bill to Dallas. With that he was off but later on he told some of his friends that he was satisfied that if I had asked to see the colt before deciding to train him he thought I would have turned him down.”

When Mr McElwyn went into training of White there were, however, no early indications that the owl-nosed son of Guy Axworthy would rewrite record books in a few years. Although he was clearly a very talented and fast trotter, the colt was sprawly gaited behind and would often hit the cart. As a result, he struggled with the turns on half mile tracks. Mr McElwyn also had two curbs that set him back a bit and White at some point thought that it might be best to just geld and turn him out. Fortunately that never happened as Mr McElwyn showed enough in winter training in Orlando for the jungle telegraph to talk about a very talented two-year-old. His first appearance, in Lexington on May 23, confirmed the rumours. Winning in 2:12 1/2 (1.22,3), gradually increasing the speed throughout the mile, this was the fastest a two-year-old had ever gone that early. His official debut came in Kalamazoo, MI, on July 17, where Mr McElwyn won a two-heat contest in easy fashion, trotting both heats in 2:09 3/4 (1.20,6). In his next race, the Rainy Day Sweepstakes at North Randall, Ohio, he finished far behind Truax who won both heats. Mr McElwyn had to settle for sixth as Colonel Bosworth, Gloria, Temple Harvester and Rachel Dillon also finished ahead of him in the final standings. Although the result was disappointing, the future was bright as Mr McElwyn would never finish outside of the top-2 ever again.

After winning at Readville, MA, he would then meet the other star in the crop, Guy Richard. Mr McElwyn won both heats, narrowly beating his rival in the first heat while benefitting from him breaking stride in the second. Guy Richard would then lower the two-heat world record in Columbus before the two met in the junior Kentucky Futurity, for 2-year-olds, where Mr McElwyn again won both heats. Four days later Guy Richard finally got his revenge, winning the May Day stakes in Lexington. A week later Mr McElwyn time trialled in 2:04 (1.17), becoming the fastest ever two-year-old trotter. It would be the first of several world records set by Mr McElwyn.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Mr McElwyn turned out to be such a spectacular trotter. His sire, Guy Axworthy, dominated the stallion ranks together with his sire Axworthy, Peter the Great and Peter Volo, and had sired the world’s fastest stallion at the time, Lee Axworthy. Widow Maggie was also one of the best broodmares of her time and hailed from the massively successful maternal family of Maggie H. In addition to Mr McElwyn she was the dam of Benelwyn who trotted 2:01 1/2 (1.15,5) at Syracuse as a four-year-old in 1928. Tragically, the full brother to Mr McElwyn died of blood poisoning at Lexington in November the same year. Widow Maggie also gave birth to Miss McElwyn 2:04 1/2 (1.17,4) dam of Spencer Mcelwyn who became a stallion at Orsi Mangelli’s Budrie farm in Italy, and Herbelwyn, World Champion on half-mile tracks. The gelding by Manrico B set a three heat world record of of 2:07 1/2, 2:07 1/4 and 2:07 1/4 (1.19,2, 1.19,1 and 1.19,1) in 1921.

Breaking records

After a long winter break Mr McElwyn made his seasonal debut at 3 at Kalamazoo, on Jul 21, 1924. Against aged competitors the three-year-old finished 2-5-1-2 in the four heats to finish second overall. However, it was just a warm-up for the Championship Stallion Stake at North Randall, Ohio, the following month. The toughest competitor was his arch-rival Guy Richard, who just a few days prior had been bought by James P Berry for a very sizable $30,000, Moved from Walter Cox, Guy Richard made his debut for new trainer Will Crozier at Kalamazoo. The third horse in the small field was Colonel Bosworth, who had already won in 2:05 1/4 (1.17,8) at 3. As Mr McElwyn went off-stride in the first heat, Colonel Bosworth and Guy Richard had a hard-fought duel, the former winning in 2:02 3/4 (1.16,3), a new world record for three-year-old trotters in a race. However, as it turned out, Colonel Bosworth had used up his energy in the first heat. After Guy Richard won the second in 2:05 3/4 (1.18,2), Mr McElwyn finally stayed on trot in the last two heats to win them in 2:04 3/4 and 2:06 3/4 (1.17,5 and 1.18,8). It was a four heat record for three-year-olds.

A week later Mr McElwyn and Guy Richards went at it again in the American Horse Breeder Futurity at Readville. In the first heat, Mr McElwyn went to the front early but was soon put under pressure by Guy Richard. The latter kept pressing, but took cover in the final turn before launching another attack at the top of the final stretch, and Guy Richard managed to squeeze by and win by a head in 2:02 3/4 (1.16,3). In a much slower second heat Guy Richard won more comfortably in a slower 2:09 1/4 (1.20,3). It was the last time he beat Mr McElwyn, however, as the latter then swept the Western Horseman Futurity, Matron Stake, Review Futurity and Kentucky Futurity. In the first heat of the Kentucky Futurity, Mr McElwyn lowered the world record to 2:02 (1.15,8), the last half in 1:00 and last quarter in 29 1/4. Combined with a second-heat win in 2:02 1/2 (1.16,1) it also established a new two-heat world record.

Breaking more records

After 10 wins in 14 starts at 2 and 3, Mr McElwyn started in a time trial on October 9, 1924, trotting an impressive 2:00 3/4 (1.15,0). It was just a start, though, as the Guy Axworthy-son, together with Ben White, lowered that to 1:59 3/4 (1.14,4) five days later. By doing so, Mr McElwyn became the first three-year-old to break the 2:00 barrier. Laid up until the next season where he kept trying to lower the record. Mr McElwyn came back even better the following year. However, on several occasions the weather didn’t cooperate, such as Syracuse, and a rain-out prevented the time trial at Lexington. Breeder-owner McCourtie arranged to send his star to Phoenix in mid-November, as the fast track there would be ideal. There Vic Fleming took care of the Guy Axworthy-son, who, after trotting in 2:00 1/2 (1.14,9) on Dec 10, lowered his record to 1:59 1/2 (1.14,3) in a time trial seven days later. That time tied Arion’s record for four-year-old trotters. Finally finding his top form, there was no winter break for Mr McElwyn who trotted in 1:59 1/4 (1.14,1) on the Arizona oval on Jan 9, 1926. That was with Vic Fleming in the sulky as Ben White was unavailable. Several watches that day had 1:59 (1.14,0) as the time, but as some official watches recorded 1:59 1/4 (1.14,1), that time was posted.

A spectacular start at stud

After the Phoenix record, Mr McElwyn was retired to stud in Lexington where he stood for a fee of $200. Within a month he had a full book. According to The Story of Mr McElwyn, published in Harness Horse on Feb 16, 1955, “no less than 81 mares were in his initial book at a $200 fee. As far as we can determine, there were 44 registered foals of the first crop of 1927. Several more were actually foaled but this was the number available for training. The summaries of the 1929 season put the McElwyns on the map in a big way. It is an obvious truism that the better a horse is, the more is expected of his progeny. Results that would betoken, promise by reasonable standards for most stallions are often sufficient to condemn a champion’s get. The first crop by Mr. McElwyn eclipsed all standards for speed by an untried stallion, as it consisted of eleven trotters and one pacer.

Obviously the quantity of two-year-old speed was good enough, but what about the quality? Five of the group, four trotters and one pacer took marks in 2:10 (1.20,8); the fastest being the brilliant champion, Main McElwyn 2, 2:02 3/4 (1.16,3). The other 2:10 performers were Pola McElwyn 2, 2:06 3/4 (1.18,8), Jessamine 2, 2:09 (1.20,2), Leona the Great 2, 2:10 (1.20,8) and Benedict p, 2, 2:08 1/2 (1.19,9). Main McElwyn’s campaign was a remarkable one. Fittingly enough, the colt was trained and raced by Mr. McElwyn’s mentor, Ben White. He was out of Ruth Mainsheet 2, 2:08 1/4 (1.19,7), by Mainsheet 2:05 (1.17,7), a mare already noted as the dam of Ruth M. Chenault 2:03 1/4 (1.16,6). As a juvenile Ruth M. Chenault had swept her engagements in 1926 at two, setting a record for juvenile winnings of $37,337.50 and taking a mark of 2:07 3/4 (1.19,4). The cocky little bay colt proved to be a phenomenon in every respect. Not quite 15 hands high, Main McElwyn had a giant-sized motor packed in his small frame. His rivalry with Hanover’s Bertha 3, 1:59 1/2 (1.14,3) provide harness horse enthusiasts with some of the most thrilling juvenile battles ever staged. All told that year Main McElwyn won nine of his eleven races and set a record for winnings by a two-year-old colt of $32,553.75. His 18 winning heats at a rate averaging 2:07 1/4 (1.19,4) far eclipsed anything hitherto accomplished by a juvenile. His 2:02 3/4 (1.16,3) race record shattered the 2:04 record held by his own sire and equalled in a race by Fireglow. It was to stand as the race mark for juvenile colts until Nibble Hanover went in 2:02 1/2 (1.16,1) in 1938.”

Almahurst and Hanover

It was just the start, though. Two years later, Maid McElwyn 2, 2:02 1/4 (1.16,0), dominated her crop at 2, though she lost he Junior Kentucky Futurity. The 1931 colt Muscletone was one of the best in his crop in the US, was then sold off to Italy and completely dominated European trotting for a few years. It is through Muscletone that Mc McElwyn’s sireline is still barely hanging on by the tiniest of threads in Germany, where Adam’s Peak last foals were born in 2022.

When WHL McCourtie passed away in 1933, Henry Knight at Almahurst Farm bought Mr McElwyn. In 1934 his first Hambletonian winner, Shirley Hanover, was born, and the following year his best son saw the light of day. McLin, later renamed McLin Hanover, was an exceptionally speedy trotter who struggled early in his career before it came together at 3. He then won the Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity, before being sold to Europe at the end of the year. Unfortunately, WWII prevented McLin Hanover from showing his exceptional abilities much outside of Italy, but the horse dominated in his new homeland and was also a very good stallion.

Mr McElwyn didn’t spend many seasons at Almahurst before he was up for sale. As Knight decided to disperse the standardbred and convert to runners in 1936, the Guy Axworthy son headed the farm’s consignment to the 42nd Old Glory Sale at Madison Square Garden in November that year. Foreign interests, both German and Italian, were very keen on buying the top stallion, something Hanover Shoe Farms’ Lawrence Sheppard did not want to happen. Sheppard was at the sale with agent Homer D Biery and ended up bidding against WJ Rosemire, who acted on behalf of the very rich Italian Count Orsi Mangelli. When Rosemire bid $14,500, Biery countered with $15,000. At the point, Rosemire finally pulled out. However, Sheppard and Biery had become separated in the crowd and when the former failed to realized his agent had the winning bid, he upped it to $15,500 – thus bidding against himself. Thus Mr McElwyn ended up at stud at Hanover Shoe Farms starting in 1937. “I’d like to know some way of getting that $500 back but I don’t see how,” Sheppard said afterwards, clearly not happy for overpaying.

The death fight

Mr McElwyn lived out his life at the Pennsylvania stud farm. On Jul 25, 1944, the local The Evening Sun reported that “Mr McElwyn, famous trotting stallion owned by Hanover Shoe Farms, is dead as the result of an accident at the Farms, the management has announced. The 23-year-old former world’s champion, stake winner and sire of many great performers, including two Hambletonian winners, was so badly injured that he had to be destroyed.

Mr McElwyn was trotting along at a pretty fast clip, looking around at something behind him, and crashed into a tree with such force that he was knocked to the ground and could not get up, the management’s announcement stated. When employees of the Farms managed to get him to his feet it was very evident that he was badly hurt and that he was suffering terribly. For humane reasons, his life was ended. A post mortem disclosed a fractured shoulder, three broken ribs and internal injuries.”

However, this announcement was misleading and, even though Mr McElwyn did run into a tree, it did not remotely come close to telling the whole truth. The harrowing story eventually came out as farm employees talked and was retold in numerous newspapers the following year. It turned out Mr McElwyn was attacked by Junior Hanover, a full brother to Hanover’s Bertha, Lawrence Hanover and Sandy Flash. The 9-year-old had broken down three fences separating the two stallions before attacking the 23-year-old Mr McElwyn. After a massive fight between the two, both horses had to be put down.

---