Timely Writer - Part One: Humble Beginnings

Domenic Imprescia with Timely Writer

 My grandmother's brother was a bit of a legend within the family.  From his very humble beginnings in Fitchburg as a son of Italian immigrants, he became a nationally known thoroughbred horse trainer.  Dom always had a love of horses. His first business was a riding academy at his parents' house on South Street in 1941.

Nov. 13, 1941 Fitchburg Sentinel

He later opened his riding school on Klondike Avenue in Lunenburg and then entered the Merchant Marines during World War Two. 

After returning from the war in 1946 he began a career in used auto sales first with existing car dealers then branching out on his own with a used car business on Water Street.  Soon after starting the auto dealership he became the owner of racehorses in 1947. After a year and a half none of the five horses had won a race, so he took matters into his own hands and became the horse trainer.

Working seven days a week, starting at the stables at 5am and ending at the car lot at 9pm, Dom held down two jobs for 12 years until 1960 when he sold the auto business and became a full time trainer at 42 years old.

Working the New England race circuit he became the trainer of several horses including those from two butchers in Boston, Francis and Peter Martin. In 1980 the Martin’s purchased a colt for $13,500 (a small price for a thoroughbred) and named him Timely Writer after the horse's parents, Staff Writer and Timely Roman. 

1981 - A year of success

At 63 years old, when many consider retirement, Domenic had what may have been the best year of his career.  Under his training he had a promising two-year old filly, Elpaso Patty, a five-year-old colt Soldier Boy, and finally there was the start of the career of his greatest horse Timely Writer.

I do not know much about horse racing but read up on the hierarchy to races.  The Kentucky Derby, for example, is a Grade 1 race, reserved for the best of the best.  There are also Grade 2 and Grade 3 races, which also carry prestige and are stepping stones to qualify for higher Grade races.  At the very bottom of the hierarchy are Claimer races.  Claimer races have a claim amount announced at the start of the race for anyone (usually a trainer or owner) to "claim" or buy the horse at the end of the race.  Win or lose, if someone claims the horse they own it; if no one claims the horse, it stays with the current owner.  This is one of the most common types of races since it allows easy entrance for horses that are new or average performers.  These would be the blue-collar types of races, where the non-millionaire types who love horse racing buy a horse - like two butchers from Boston - and race for a chance at some small prize purses.  Not the stuff of the elite stables and trainers with six or seven figure dollar horses would ever compete.  The claimers were Dom's bread and butter, training horses for the modest owners who would race in Suffolk Downs, Rockingham Park or Gulfstream and Calder in Florida 

So in June 1981, Dom chose a $30,000 Claimer race in Monmouth Park, NJ, for Timely Writer's first race.  Someone could have literally put down $30k to buy the horse at the start of the race so obviously the horse had unknown greatness at that time.  But it did not take long for it to be revealed - he took the top spot in his first race.

His second race at Suffolk Downs in Boston on July 4th was the Mayflower Stakes.  One of two major stakes races held at Suffolk, the other being The Massachusetts Handicap which was held two weeks prior - and won by a 24-1 odds horse - Soldier Boy - also trained by Domenic!  So it is hard to imagine lightning would strike twice for Dom so soon, but Timely Writer easily won and almost broke a 38-year-old track record, missing it by one-tenth of a second.

The same trainer winning the two most prestigious races at Suffolk Downs was unprecedented in the then 47 year history of the Suffolk.  As Dom told the Boston Globe after the race, "If someone told me a couple weeks ago that I would win the Masscap AND the Mayflower - I would have told them they were smoking something."

In August Dom entered Timely Writer in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes in Saratoga, NY.  Again he pulled out a surprise win over premier horses by 4 1/2 lengths.

 

The end of Timely Writer's career as a 2 year old was in another Grade 1 race, The Champagne Stakes in Belmont Park, NY.  This race also featured the other standout, a 2 year old named Deputy Minister, a horse that won eight out if its last nine starts and was considered the top contender for Canadian Horse of the Year as well as the Eclipse Award, the American Thoroughbred awards.  The other contender for the Eclipse - Timely Writer.  This head to head race would surely show the best horse in 1981.

The race ultimately did show the best horse - Timely Writer - with an impressive come from behind win over the 4-5 odd favorite Deputy Minister, winning down the stretch by 5 lengths.  The press were now believers that Timely Writer was the leading contender for the Eclipse Award for a 2 year old Horse of the Year.

Boston Globe October 23, 1981

The $13,500 colt was also fetching $3 million dollars for half-interest in the horse, which would include lucrative stud fees once his racing career was complete.  Dom was also nominated for several awards from the New England Turf Writer Awards.  And Kentucky Derby favorite was mentioned in every article about Timely Writer at this point.  Things could not have been better for the Martin's, Dom Imprescia and Timely Writer. 

But in an unexplainable snub, Deputy Minister was awarded the Eclipse Award for the Outstanding 2 year old.  The owners of Timely Writer took the snub very personally as shown in this Boston Globe article in December 1981.  The Martins as well as the fans of the horse in Boston felt like the elites did not want to accept a horse that rose up the ranks from a claimer to Grade 1 horse compared to a horse with the money and power establishment behind it.

Sports writers in Boston were also outraged at the snub as seen by editorial below:

Dom fared much better at the end of the year with the New England Tuft Writers Awards.  He had a stunning year with not just Timely Writer but two other horses.

In 1982 Timely Writer was poised to be dominant in his 3 year old season including the biggest - The Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.  But there were several big races in Florida for the winter season that would prepare him.

But no one could be prepared for what 1982 would bring and it will go down as one of the most tragic stories in Thoroughbred racing history.

To be continued...

When did the Imprescia's (and other family members) Immigrate?

The Impresica-Costa Family History document attempted to list out the immigration history of the Imprescia's and Costa's from Pietraperzia to Massachusetts.  Using documents available from passenger lists to Boston and New York I wanted to try to put together a timeline for arrivals in USA for our family.  From the "Family History" the timeline looked like this:

Filippo and Filippa (Siciliano) Imprescia left for America a short time after their wedding in Italy in 1908.  Salvatore and Vincenzo (Imprescia) Costa left for America in 1905 with their son Anthony.

What I have found:

1893

Although not an Imprescia, Giuseppe Carbone, age 44, father of Luigi Carbone (future husband of Anna Imprescia) left Lapio Italy on SS Weser which arrived in New York on 15 May 1893.  He was traveling with his brother-in-law Vito Costanza (married to his sister Maria Rosa Carbone).  Their final destination was Massachusetts.  Neither Giuseppe or Vito stayed in the United States and lived the remainder of their lives in Italy.  Giuseppe’s brother Antonio had immigrated as early as 1883 and is one of the earliest Italians to settle in Fitchburg.

1903

The first Imprescia arrival that I could track was Filippo Imprescia in 1903.  I cannot find the passenger list from 1903 with his name on it.  This was from his 2nd arrival in 1908, it lists whether passenger has ever been in United States before, he answered yes in 1903 in Boston.

    

1905

I could not find Salvatore Costa in passenger list but I could find Maria Vincenzo and Antonio (who was under 1 year old at the time) listed on the registry of the SS Romanic that travelled from Naples to Boston in 1905. 

So I assume Salvatore arrived sometime before or was on the passenger list and I could not locate him.  

Dominic Imprescia also travelled alone to the United States in 1905, leaving his wife Anna and daughter Concetta in Italy.  He departed Naples on April 26, 1905 and arrived in Boston May 8th, 1905 on the SS Canopic, it is listed on registry that he was joining his son Fillippo at the address 3 North Sq., Boston. It also noted that his son paid for his passage and he arrived with $2.00 in his pocket.

1906

One year and five months after Dominic Imprescia arrived in the United States, his wife Anna Viola and daughter Concetta boarded the SS Canopic on October 7th, 1906 and arrived in Boston on November 12th.

Anna Viola's passport from her
immigration on 7 October 1905

  

Concetta listed as daughter accompanying Anna on passport 

1907

Maurice Montesion, my wife's grandfather, came to New York from Lacedonia, Avellino when he was 18 aboard the Regina D'Italia.   He was listed as a shoemaker with $12 in his pocket. His final destination was with his uncle Michele Cardellicchio at 201 Water St. Boston.  His uncle had arrived earlier in 1905.

1908

Some time in before 1908, Filippo went back to Italy to get married.  On 23 January 1908 Filippo married Filippa Siciliano in Pietraperzia. Sixteen days after their wedding the couple then departed Italy on 8 February 1908 to New York on the SS Roma and arrived on 24 March 1908.

Filippo "Phillip" passport from 1908

Filippa Siciliano accompanying Filippo in 1908

1912

Salvatore Siciliano (age 53), Filippa (Siciliano) Imprescia's father came to the United States with two of his sons Alisandro (age 19) and Giuseppe (age 16). The trip was paid by Filippo on the SS Canopic and it arrived 12 September 1912  in Boston. Salvatore and Giuseppe did not stay in the United States, but Alisandro did stay and in 1922 married Mary Cali and had six children: Samuel, Pamela, Jane, Leon and Joseph.

1913

Luigi Carbone, future husband of Anna (Imprescia) Carbone, came to the United States when he was 14 years old.  His father Giuseppe had already died in Italy in 1903.  He came with his mother Maria Gaetana Iovine (age 50) and two sisters Giovanna (age 25) and Carmella (age 22).  They were coming to stay with Giuseppe (Joseph) Carbone, Maria Gaetana's older son who immigrated some time around 1908 and lived on 22 Middle St, Fitchburg.

Giovanna married Michael Champa and Carmella married Vito Colello and both lived in Fitchburg.

The immigration from Italy was a family affair, as they earned money working in the United States they would send money back to pay for passage of relatives who would then live with them when they arrived until they could find jobs and get their own apartments and homes.

KILLED JUST BEFORE QUITTING WORK FOR THE DAY

 

My grandmother Anna (Imprescia) Carbone tells her recollection of her Aunt Concetta from stories passed down from her parents and grandparents.  She was 97 years old when this was recorded on February 8th,  2008.

In prior post I tried to track down The Legend of Dominic and Anna Impresica and their 17 Children and found 11 children documented as births while they lived in Italy.  When Dominic and Anna immigrated to the United States in 1906, only three children were still alive, my great-grandfather Filippo who would have been 26 years old at that time, Maria Vincenzo who would have been 23 years old and the youngest daughter Concetta who was 12 years old when she arrived.

Concetta Imprescia Circa 1908

By August 1908 the complete Imprescia family was in Massachusetts.

Dominic Imprescia - 3 Middle Street Lane, Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Anna (Viola) Imprescia - wife
• Filippo Imprescia - son
• Filippa (Siciliano) Imprescia - daughter-in-law
• Concetta Imprescia- daughter

Salvatore Costa - 471 Hanover Street, Boston, Massachusetts

• Maria Vincenza (Imprescia) Costa - wife
• Anthony Costa - son
• Lena (Maria) Costa - daughter

Concetta the much younger sister of Filippo and Maria Vincenza, enrolled in school in 1906 and by 1908 she was able to read and write in English.  But June of 1908 would be her last year of school, in July she was employed at Star Worsted Wood in Fitchburg as a spinner.

One month into her job, tragedy struck.  Here is the scan of the original Fitchburg Sentinel story, but I have transcribed below.  They have identified Concetta as Concettino and incorrectly indicate she is their only child:

Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, MA) 

August 26, 1908

KILLED JUST BEFORE QUITTING WORK FOR THE DAY. 

Young Italian Girl Caught in Shafting at Star Worsted Mill and Fatally Injured Before Machinery Could Be Stopped. 

Caught by an empty coat sleeve in the shafting of a spinning frame at the Star Worsted Mill on Sheldon Street Tuesday night just before the whistle blows for 6 o'clock.  Concettino Imprescia aged about 15 years, daughter of Mr and Mrs Domenico Imprescia, 3 Middle Street Lane, was literally pounded to death on the contact with the machine and the floor upon which her body fatally landed.  The death came about 20 minutes after the incident with her battered body was stretched out on the floor of the mill with the section hands, overseers and fellow employees powerless to aid her or to even relieve her suffering although willing and anxious to assist.
The young girl who came to work in the mill according to the books kept by Smith Bateman, overseer of the spinning department, on July 7 of this year, was the only daughter of a hardworking Italian couple who reside at 3 Middle Street Lane.  The girl was the pride of the family and was well known throughout the Italian colony.  Her pretty face and bright appearance made her a favorite with all her country people and others who came in contact with her at work.  She was engaged as assistant spinner working on the frames over which Elzeau Goguen of 50 Main Street had charge.  She was not afraid to work but like all others employed in the room was in the habit of getting ready to go home just as soon as the closing whistle announced 6 o’clock.
Away from her mother and father all day, the little girl was over anxious to get out of the busy spinning room and so when the clock drew near 6 o’clock she became anxious to cease her toil and speed towards the warm supper and cordial welcome she knew awaited her in her little home on Middle Street Lane.  But while anxious to get out, she did not neglect her work tending to the loom right up to the final moment.  In her anxiety to be ready for home she took her coat and started to put it on.  Slipping the left arm through the light-colored jacket she wore over her working dress, she stead the machine with her right hand keeping the little wheel which would stop it motion in easy reach.  Three more minutes were before her and alert stood there, one arm in the coat sleeve and the right hand on the lever which controlled the machine.  Elzeau Gougen section hand of that part of the room, stood 10 feet away from the frame with his back to the girl.  Other employees stood to the right of her to the front and rear, all like herself intent on hearing the whistle.  Suddenly like a flash of lightening the swinging coat sleeve, dangling at the right side of the girl became tangled in the shafting of the frame which revolved almost 18 inches from the floor.
On this shafting ran a little 1 1/4 inch belt to a pully which controlled the motive power of the spinner.  The shafting went around with about 400 revolutions per minute and instantly the child was wound around the revolving shaft.  The belt slipped from the shafting but the roughness of the steel shaft combined with the amount of the cloth already wrapped around the shafting was sufficient to hold the girl and as it swiftly revolved the girl was thrown around with it.  Her body was whirled through the air, striking the spinning frame and also thumping on the floor.
Mr. Gougen heard her screams which were echoed in horror by all the other employees in the room and he turned like a flash to see what happened.  Realizing the danger, he sprang over her revolving body and turned the wheel which controlled the spinner.  In a moment the huge machine came to a standstill and the girl was released from its fatal clutch.  Smith Bateman overseer of the room came up from the rear of the spinning room took in the situation at a glance.
He made for the office telephone but the office was closed and he had to run to a house across the street, where he ordered a carriage at once.  He returned to the mill, but seeing the little girl was dangerous, if not fatally injured, he returned to the phone and summoned the Burbank hospital ambulance.  It arrived at 6:27, but the girl had died just 10 minutes before, Medical Examiner Frederick H. Thompson was notified and quickly arrived on the scene.  He ordered the body be turned over to the Undertaker John R. Smith, who arrived a short time afterwards and removed it to his rooms at 181 Water Street.
Chief of Police D.W. Tinsley and Officer Chadwick who came to the mill soon after the accident, took charge of the situation till the medical examiner had arrived and the body turned over to the undertaker.  It was fortunate that they were there as the parents and friends of the dead girl began to arrive just before 7 o’clock.  Word had been sent them that their child or “baby”, as they called her had been killed and the news traveled through the Italian colony with wonderful quickness.  Fully 20 Italian speaking people followed the mother and father from their home on Middle Street to the mill, and as the grief stricken procession wounded its way through the crowded thoroughfare, the sigh was most pathetic .
The grief of the heart broken parents was most pitiful.  At the mill when they learned that the girl had passed away, their grief broke out with renewed force and for a moment it looked as if they lost complete control of themselves.  Chief Tinsley and Officer Chadwick did their best to comfort them and ordered a carriage to remove them to their home.  When it arrived the parents and friends, as many as could, went home to prepare for the arrival of the body.  Even those whose round of duty bring them in contact with such scenes, were deeply affected by the grief of the parents, whose only child had been taken from them.
Medical Examiner Frederick H. Thompson, Sr. viewed the body at John R. Smith’s this morning, giving primary cause of death, fracture of the skull and injury of the brain and multiple fractures.  The contributory cause was shock and hemorrhage.  The examination also showed that the left arm was broken, but otherwise the arms, hands and body escaped being even bruised, all the injury being in the head.
The funeral will be held this afternoon, from Undertaker Smith’s rooms, with services at St. Anthony’s church.  The internment will be in St. Bernard’s cemetery.

** End of article **

This story highlights the dangerous working conditions of our ancestors.  In our current times of personal injury lawsuits and safety guidelines - what was recourse back in 1908?  

I will continue the story of Concetta in a future post.

The Imprescia-Costa Family History Document - Fact or Fiction

I found an interesting family history document that was put together around 1984 and has some interesting stories of the family.  I am going to try to fact-check what was written based on all the information I have gathered and what records are available on-line.

But to start - here is the original.  Someone took the time (I would love to know the author) to research and type up this document on a typewriter, then photocopy and distribute to members of the family.  They must have went to all family members to get background to put together this labor of love.  I believe I got my copy from Anna (Imprescia) Carbone, my grandmother.  It is a great read, but look for future posts to provide some background and documentation on these stories since I already see some things that I suspect are not correct - so it will be fun to play detective and get the real story.

Here is a link or read below.