THE RISE AND FALL OF A GREAT HORSE

This photo out of a 1910 fair book shows the harness racing track looking north from the grandstands. There are plenty of fans outside the track and in the infield.

As the great Shelby County Fair gets under way this week, county residents will gather to participate in perhaps our oldest community activity. Early records trace the genesis of the fair to a meeting called by William Murphy, then the auditor of Shelby County, on August 21, 1839. The first fair was held on October 17, 1840, and was a one day affair. The early history of the event, and its various locations in the beginning years, are topics for another day. Horse racing, and the off track action that surrounded the sport, have always been a central part of the fair. Significant sums of money were wagered on the races in the early years. The recent announcement that a night of racing at the fair will be canceled this year comes as a disappointment to some. Before the recent rise in popularity of such sports as football, baseball and basketball, horse racing captivated the attention of sports fans. The great horses had names as well known as the sports stars of today. Never was there a horse that generated more local excitement than Joe Gales. He was the talk of Sidney in the late 1860's. This is the story of the rise and fall of that great horse.

Joe Gales first saw the light of day in an Auglaize County horse barn in 1859. An ugly gray in color with a droopy rump, this horse was headed for an unpromising life. The mid 1860's was not a good time to be a man of fighting age or a horse. The U. S. government was paying $105 a head for horses because of their tragic rate of deaths on the battlefield. Russell Botkin, who was a partner with George Yager in a Sidney livery business, bought a lot of 17 Auglaize County horses for resale to a government agent.

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