The First Maritime Bred Trotting Mare To Beat 2:10 In Atlantic Canada
"The Charlottetown Express". The first Maritime bred trotting mare to ever beat 2:10 in a race in Atlantic
Canada.
Millie Kalmuck, a foal of 1933, was bred by Mr. Claude McMillan of Charlottetown, P.E.I. she was a bay
trotting daughter of Kalmuck, 2:15 1/4 and her dam was Helen Dewey by John Dewey.
Her race career began with but one start in 1935as a 2 year old filly.
This took place at the C.D.P., where she finished a dismal 7 - 8 - 6 in a 8 horse field in 2:26 1/2 - 2:25 3/4
- 2:24 1/4.
As a 3 year old in 1936, Millie Kalmuck had 5 starts that went 13 heats.
She seemed unable to take a record in a public race. She had a 0 - 3 - 8 summary that year and earned
$176.
The mare raced at Summerside, Charlottetown and Fredericton that particular year.
She had the misfortune to be racing in 3 year old trot and pace classes with such opponents as Sully and
Volrida (a Canadian champion filly) both imported pacers. Her other "thorn in the side" was a Maritime
bred pacing mare called Guy Ann (a 2, 3, and 4 year old Maritime Champion) owned, bred and driven by
the late, legendary George Callbeck.
Millie Kalmuck was separately timed in what then would be amazing miles for a Maritime bred trotting filly.
She was close up in times such as 2:08 3/4 - 2:09 1/4 and 2:10 etc.
It was wisely decided to give her a public time trial at the C.D.P. on Sept. 7, 1936. Her goal was to beat
2:13 1/4 trotting.
The filly responded in a then brilliant 2:14 3/4 (h) for her popular owner and driver the late and legendary
Willard Kelly of Southport, Prince Edward Island.
This was then the fastest mile ever (in a time trial) gone by a Maritime bred 3 year old trotting filly.
Millie Kalmuck had an excellent year in 1937 as a 4 year old. Out of 24 heats the Maritime bred miss
trotted to a 13 - 4 - 3 summary and took a then very fast 2:12 (h) mark for Willard Kelly. A few high points
of her 1937 career were as follows:
She took a race record of 2:17 1/2 in mid July at Alberton. At the C.C.P. in mid August she lowered her
race record to 2:14 1/4 in a thrilling duel with the Maritime bred champion Guy Ann.
Six days later at Woodstock, Kelly gave her a record of 2:12 in a 3rd heat of a 4 heat duel against Moon
Tide, a fast trotting gelding of that time.
She closed out her 1937 racing schedule at the Halifax Exhibition on October 2nd with a 1 - 1 - 1 effort.
The going got tough for Millie Kalmuck as an aged mare in 1938. She had 6 starts of 18 heats and only
managed a 2 - 3 - 8 summary for that year. There were starts at Alberton, Hamilton, Northam,
Charlottetown and Halifax.
She raced against the best around that season. The mare was forced to race against such outstanding
performers as Lusty Frisco, John Dean, Dude Potempkin and others. Her fastest heat win came in a
rather slow 2:15 1/4 at Halifax, N.S.
1939, the year that the Second World War began saw Millie Kalmuck able to put up numbers like 7 - 10 4 out of 22 heats.
There were appearances at Kensington, Charlottetown and Montague and the mare and her popular
driver and owner Willard Kelly met with success at these Island meets. Kelly and "Millie" then decided to
try their luck in the State of Maine at Presque Isle and Windsor. The results, 2 - 3 - 1 and a 2 - 2 - 1
summary respectively. The best winning time for 1939 was 2:12 won at the C.D.P. in a 3rd heat on
August 16th.
Millie Kalmuck and Willard Kelly made 10 appearances at 8 different tracks in 1940. Starting at Alberton
on July 1st, the pair raced at Kensington, Northam, Montague, Charlottetown, Truro, North Sydney and
New Glasgow.
They closed out this season finishing 1 - 2 - 2 on October 14th at the C.D.P. in a non purse event.
Out of 30 hard fought heats, the 7 year old matron posted a respectable 7 - 8 - 8 summary. Her best effort
was a win in a 3rd heat at North Sydney in 2:14 1/4.
At the C.D.P. on August 16th in a $420 FFA Trot the old mare trotted three of the best heats of her life but
finished 2 - 2 - 2 to Alloway and Hal Britton in 2:09 3/4 - 2:07 2/4 - 2:08. The 2:07 3/4 was a then all aged
trotting record for the C.D.P. Alloway, owned and driven by Robert Ryan of Bathurst N.B., set up the then
track record.
It was a 9 horse field of the best around at that time and Islanders must have been very proud of their
homebred old mare that historic afternoon.
At Truro, Millie finished 5 - 3 - 4 to Alloway (1 - 2 - 1) and Hal Britton (3 - 1 - 3) in 2:10 - 2:11 - 2:12. It was
the first mile ever trotted in 2:10 at our local oval.
Millie Kalmuck and owner, driver Willard Kelly would trot into the Maritime record book in 1941.
After a 1 - 1 - 1 summary at Alberton on July 1st, and a 2nd place finish in 2:12 on a rained out card, the
pair were ready to write some history.
A Kensington, Willard drive Millie to a 1 - 1 - 5 summary as she lowered her mark to 2:11 1/2 and then to
2:11. After a 1 - 5 - 3 effort at Montagueon July 30th in 2:13 1/4 - 2:09 - 2:10 the stage was set.
It was the afternoon of August 13th, 1941, the place was the Charlottetown Driving Park and it was Old
Home Week.
Millie Kalmuck and driver Willard Kelly faced five fast pacers in a mixed class for a $200 purse.
Her major opponents were San Ton, Major Bowes, Albert E. Grattan, Martendell and Charlotte B.
After a dismal 5th place finish in the first heat in 2:09, Millie Kalmuck and driver, owner Willard Kelly,
came right back in a then brilliant 2:09 1/2 - 2:10. At that time the 2:09 1/2 was the first time a Maritime
bred trotting mare of any age had managed to beat 2:10 in a race on any half mile track in Atlantic
Canada. The old record for an aged Maritime bred trotting mare had been set in 1927 at Fredericton by
Gwendolyn Audrey. It had been a then very fast 2:10 1/4. The daughter of N.S.A.C.'s Captain Aubrey
had been driven that afternoon, 14 years before, by none other than the late John Willard (of John R
Braden fame).
After a 2 day rest Millie Kalmuck came right back at the C.D.P. with a 4 - 1 - 1 summary in 2:13 - 2:11 1/4
- 2:13 1/4. Then there was more wins at Saint Stephen and Presque Isle later in August.
At the close of the racing year of 1941, the 8 year old trotter had numbers of 13 - 5 - 2 out of 28 hard
fought heats. More importantly she had a 2:09 1/2 (h) Maritime record to her credit.
Only Gwendolyn Aubrey, 2:08 1/2 (h) had a better one and her's had been set in the State of Maine!
Millie Kalmuck trots the fastest mile ever by a trotting mare in 1942. A brilliant 2:08 1/2 (h). Also has 8
heat wins over Watchim!
In 1941 Millie Kalmuck had 11 wins - 9 seconds and 4 thirds out of 34 heats.
She was now racing against such famous trotters at Watchim, June Evans, Sunnymede, Squire Hanover
and others, all imports, and more than holding their own in the bargain! She even had about 8 heat wins
over Watchim that amazing year.
At the C.D.P. on August 14th, Millie was a 1 - 3 - 1 winner in 2:11 - 2:09 1/4 - 2:10 3/4. Some of the
famous trotters she showed her heels to that day included June Evans, Sunnymede and Watchim (4 - 1 2).
Then there were more wins at Saint Stephen, S.R.W., and Bridgewater. One of the greatest races of her
entire life took place at New Glasgow's Union Track on the afternoon of September 2nd, 1942.
After a dismal 6th place finish in 2:08 1/2, Willard Kelly had Millie "full of trot" and came right back to win
in 2:08 1/2 and 2:11. The 2:08 1/2 was than an all aged trotting standard for any trotting mare in Atlantic
Canada. The old standard had been set at Fredericton in 1934 and equalled at the C.D.P. in 1936.
It was co - held by Sister Express and Silk Girl respectively. It had been 2:09 1/4.
Another outstanding race Millie took part in was at Summerside where on Sept. 16th, she finished 3 - 2 -2
to the pacer Hal McKinney in 2:14 1/2, 2:13 - 2:09. (A track record for pacing at that time).
In her final appearance on our racetrack in 1942, Millie Kalmuck put up numbers of 7 - 9 - 3 out of 24
heats. Her fastest winning heat was in 2:11 1/4 in a 3rd heat at Summerside.
The final race of Millie Kalmuck's historic career came on September 6th at Montague, P.E.I. Here she
finished 2 - 4 - 3 to the pacer, Dale H in 2:11 - 2:08 - 2:10. It was then wisely decided to retire the 10 year
old champion who then held both the Maritime bred record and the open all aged trotting record for any
aged trotting mare in the Maritime Provinces.
A look at the 1957 USTA Sires and Dams shows that Millie Kalmuck produced 9 foals from 1944 to 1954.
None of them took fast records like she herself did (2:08 1/2). Her last owner is listed as Pierce Downey
of Hillsboro, N.B. In 66 starts Millie Kalmuck had a lifetime summary of 61 wins - 51 seconds and 40
thirds. 57% of the time she was either 1st or 2nd in all her heats. She was 1st, 2nd or 3rd on an
outstanding 78% of all her lifetime heats of 196.
It has been 57 years since that historic summer of 1941 when Millie Kalmuck became the first ever
Maritime bred trotting mare to ever beat 2:10 on a half mile track in our Maritime Provinces. Her 2:08 1/2
trotting record still stands unbroken after 56 years at New Glasgow's historic Union Track which is now a
matinee and training facility.
Her aged Maritime record of 2:08 1/2 has been lowered to 2:02 1/2 (1992) but it has taken Maritime
breeding exactly 50 years to lower her old record by 6 and 3/10 seconds!