Botkin collected the horses together for
inspection by Peter Mesler, the resident government agent living in Dayton. Mesler
accepted the lot except for the ugly gray, who was thought ‘unfit’ to serve his
country. Thus rejected, Joe Gales became a driving horse for George Yager. Yager trained
him as a pacer, and Joe Gales achieved some success in the county fair races, pacing the
mile in just over three minutes. Yager tired of him, sold him to a stock dealer, but then
bought him back for $60. Joe's red letter day occurred in 1865 when an astute
businessman, Colonel John Fry of Mississippi, purchased him and shipped him to Vicksburg,
of that state. Returning to Sidney a year later, Joe Gales astonished the county fair
goers and area horsemen by handily winning every race in which he was entered. Fry
selected a trainer from the Cincinnati area named Doolan to further the career of the
motley gray pacer.
Cincinnati businessman Court Dodd purchased a half interest in Joe Gales for $1,700.
When Court Dodd had his charge ready, he was taken to the prestigious eastern circuit.
Racing in Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and other locations, Joe Gales
never lost. His best time for the paced mile was 2:23, which was considered a top time in
those days. The author of a Sidney Journal article of February 6, 1896, recalled
those days: "He did not lose a single race, though pitted against White Cloud, and
the other cracks of the day. Money flowed like water in the pockets of the owners...The
gray horse, looking fit only to go to his own funeral, was one of the equine kings of the
country."
The triumphant return of Joe Gales to Sidney was a sight to behold. All the residents
celebrated the fast but homely looking horse. Sidney residents laughed when the champion
was challenged by the owners of two other horses. The opponents were Tipp Cranston, a
beautiful blood bay from Tippecanoe owned by Dr. Cranston, and Centerville Maid, of
Hamilton.
The match race was held at the fairgrounds. Virtually all the town's residents
attended. The bettor's money flowed freely. The odds on the challengers were long. Tension
gripped the air as the starting bell rang. The horses broke from the gate evenly, but
immediately, a gasp went up from the crowd as Joe Gales went up in the air. Tipp Cranston
won the race. Amid the howling protests of Joe Gales' backers, it was determined that a
wheel on his sulky had broken. Tipp Cranston's owner refused a demand for a rematch after
Colonel Fry on behalf of Joe Gales, who shouted: "I will bet you $5,000 that we can
beat you in 20 minutes."
A twist of fate developed that day that proved the undoing of the great Joe Gales.
Thomas McGeehan, the owner of Centerville Maid, was so impressed by Joe Gales that he
traded his horse and $500 for Sidney's gray champion. McGeehan, a reputed gambler and
participant in a whiskey ring, mistreated the great horse. He raced him too frequently,
often after the horse had been 'doctored'. It was said that Joe Gales took on the morals
of his owner, often 'throwing' races.
McGeehan took him west to Kansas, in hopes of arranging a lucrative stakes race. When
the arrangements fell through, his owner sold a half interest in Joe Gales for a load of
coal. Joe Gales reportedly spent his old age on a farm near Toledo, Ohio. The fate of his
cruel owner, however, can be reported with certainty.