The origins of the ghost
by Lisa Harkema
The gray mare Molly J was 3/4 thoroughbred, but her daughter Mary Bales was a trotter like her sire Montjoy. In fact, Mary Bales turned out to be one of the best trotters in Circleville, Ohio for her owner Jesse Jones. When her racing career was over, Jones gave the mare to Zack Brewer. The new owner bred her to Zombro and in 1905 she gave birth to the pacing mare Zombrewer. The grey mare was an excellent racehorse and an even better broodmare.
Zombrewer raced at 3 but without success. In fact, she didn’t win a race until her final test as a four-year-old, pacing in 2:14 1/4 (1.23,4). The following year she found her groove, won a few races and reduced her record to 2:10 1/2 (1.21,1). That caused Aaron Williams to open his wallet and buy the mare from breeder Zack Brewer. The mare was then moved to trainer William L Snow, one of the top drivers at the time.
The move paid off. At 6, in 1911, Zombrewer completely ruled the roast. She swept all three heats of the Grand Circuit race at Indianapolis, winning the second in p2:04 1/4 (1.17,2), her record. In a race in Grand Rapids, MI, that year she won the first heat before her luck ran out. In the second heat, Zombrewer suffered an injury when a rival fell against her. Despite being in obvious pain, the grey mare finished admirably to finish third, but had to be withdrawn from the third heat.
In her comeback the following year she won her only race before she struggled a lot of on the track for two seasons. Zombrewer was then permanently retired to the broodmare ranks. At that time, she had a really good sister on the track. Interestingly enough, Mary Bales turned out to be a really good broodmare, because in addition to the pacing Zombrewer she also produced the very good trotting mare Wilkes Brewer 2:04 1/2 (1.17,4), by Nutwood Wilkes, born 1911.