In December 1940, the Williamsburg Jockey Club announced that as part of the Kingstree Jaycees big Christmas Activity Program, it would co-sponsor horse racing on the day after Christmas at its new track on Dave McGill's property nine miles east of Kingstree.
The half-mile track was sited on 22 acres. Only the judges' stand would be completed by December 26, but the jockey club promised that in the future, it would build permanent stands for spectators. As for 1940, newspapers reported that "adequate parking space on the knoll overlooking the racetrack will enable spectators to have a full view of the entire field and each event of the day."
A lancing tournament at 1 p.m. would kick off the big day. There would be three horse races and a mule race following the lancing tournament. Hot BBQ and turkey dinners would be sold on the grounds. The three races were the Black River, three furlongs on the flat; the Kingstree, two furlongs on the flat for lady riders only; and the featured race the Old Wiliamsburg, six furlongs on the flat. The mule race was for Black riders, riding bareback.
All businesses in Kingstree closed for the races, and 3,000 spectators converged to witness, under ideal weather conditions, the 75 horses entered on the day's race card. The track, according to reporting on the races, was declared to be one of the finest in the state.
M.B. Cross of Eutawville delivered the charge at the lancing tournament which saw a winner in English Josey, Knight of St. Charles. Billy Epps, Knight of Williamsburg was second, and Joe Bates, Knight of Wateree, finished third. That evening, the winning knights crowned their ladies at a dance at the Kingstree High School Gym. Josey crowned Amanda E. Bates; Epps crowned Madeline Brown, and Bates crowned Eleanor Barwick. Jaycee President Steve Montgomery was master of ceremonies for the event. Jimmy Slayton and his Orchestra from Virginia provided the music for the dance.
The Black River, run in 35 seconds, was won by Kirby Tupper riding "Last Chance," owned by H.E. Baird, Jr., of Camden. The mule race was won by Rough Boy riding "Pet," owned by Sid Brown of Kingstree. The mule race was described as "an hilarious and bitterly fought battle" among the 11 riders.
The Old Williamsburg was won by "Symbolic," ridden by Al Capuano and owned by Col. Bob Brooks of Columbia. The ladies race, The Kingstree, was won by a nose by "Blackout," ridden by Edith McCants Bookhart, owned by Alonzo B. Seabrook of N. Charleston. (As a point of personal privilege, I'll note here that Edith McCants Bookhart was my third cousin. She had been riding and winning races since she was nine years old in the early 1930s.) An unadvertised harness race was won by Dave McCutchen of Kingstree. J.Henry McIntosh announced the races over a public address system provided by Moore & Wise Radio Company of Kingstree. This was believed by reporters to be the only track in the state with such a system.
Williamsburg Jockey Club officers in 1940 were W.B. Epps, president; Watson McCollough, vice president; J.K Harvey, secretary; C.E. McGill, treasurer; S.D. McGill, R.I. Snowden, Herbert Brown, Henry Brown and Dave McCutchen, directors.
In March 1941, officers from four jockey clubs across the state––Summerville, Elloree, Belvidere, and Williamsburg––met at the American Legion Hut in Kingstree to plan for the spring racing season. There would be a race each week for three weeks in April and one in May at one of the tracks of the various jockey clubs. Kingstree's spring race date would be at the McGill track on April 24. There was no lancing tournament at the spring meet, but there were five horse races and a mule race.
During the Spring races, Gene Brown, seven-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. D.C Brown suffered a broken leg when he was thrown by "Yellow Gal" in the first race. It was also noted that the Spring mule race was won by a mule that had balked at the Christmas meet and refused to compete in the race.
On the day after Christmas in 1941, there were 50 entries in six races. The winner of the Old Williamsburg, again the featured race, was "Chick-Chick," a local horse, owned by C.E. McGill and ridden by Willis Ed Tisdale.
At the Spring Meet in 1942, there were again five races and a mule race. Thirty-three horses were entered in the five races, with nine locally-owned horses running.
World War II seems to have suspended racing until the day after Christmas in 1944, when 51 horses competed in seven races––the largest number of horses to run on a single day in South Carolina that year. Newspapers promoting the races noted, "The Holiday Handicap races will have as its main event, the fifth race, the South Carolina, in which six of the state's finest horses and some of the South's best have been entered. This is the only race this year in which these horses will go to the post together in the same event. The winner of this race will receive a war bond purse and the annual handicap trophy given by the Williamsburg Jockey Club. This race will probably create more interest and enthusiasm with horse owners and sports fans than any other event held in South Carolina this year."
An extremely large crowd attended the 1944 Christmas races to see Rapitel, owned by R.A. Reeves of Charleson, win the South Carolina. Jockey Neil Bates, son of Joe Bates, rode three straight winners that afternoon.
There were no spring races in 1945, but on the day after Christmas, 40 horses from 15 different towns in South Carolina competed at Dave McGill's track. The State newspaper noted, "Five thousand spectators––the largest crowd to see an event in the modern history of South Carolina horse racing––saw Miss Carolina, state champion flat racer, score another triumph on the Williamsburg Jockey Club Track this afternoon."
The Jockey Club attempted to resume the spring turf program in 1946. Forty-two horses were on the card, but a cold rain curtailed the crowd to only 1,500 spectators. There was talk later that year of having an annual Armistice Day racing program on November 11, but there was little statewide publicity. And by December 1947, the Williamsburg Jockey Club had disbanded.
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We enjoyed going every year seeing friends and family together good old days.
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