The horse who hated the uphill
by Lisa Harkema
He may just be the American horse imported to Europe who has left the biggest and most impressive stamp on trotting history. He was dominant on the track and despite relatively few foals left a lasting legacy. There was only one drawback with Sam Williams: he didn’t like the hill at Vincennes. That is a minor thing in the big picture, though, considering his massive influence on European trotting.
There is a lot of firsts in the story of Sam Williams. Born 1922, the colt was the first horse ever bred by WH Cane, the owner of Good Time Stables and Good Time Park. A winner of the 1924 Junior Kentucky Futurity, he made $8,520 at 2. At 3 he won the Matron and Horseman Futurity, winning the latter after a slow first half turned into a frenzied speed duel with Aileen Guy, a 1:07 first half being followed by 1:01 1/4, the last quarter completed in 29 1/4. Aileen Guy got her revenge in the four-heat Horse Review Futurity at Columbus, the first three heats being won by Aileen Guy, Guy Ozark and Sam respectively, before Aileen winning the race-off but needing to trot in 28 1/4 in the last quarter to hold off Sam Williams. His heat win in 2:04 3/4 (1.17,5) was the season mark for colts, while Aileen Guy took the season mark for fillies when she won both heats of the American Horse Breeder Futurity in 2:03 1/2 (1.16,8).
Aileen Guy also won the Kentucky Futurity with Sam Williams placing third but his $10,446 earnings made him the season’s leader for age, gait and sex. It is interesting to read an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer from Sept 13, 1925, which says “Sam Williams is a lot better colt than he has been given credit for being: a colt with perfect manners, about as much speed as any three-year old racing, and he can go about as far as any of them. When he was a two-year old he was accused by some of being “soft” but his races this season prove to the contrary.”