Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Personality of the Month
for June 2006

George Smallsreed

George Smallsreed will forever be remembered as the USTA's chief photographer. But besides racing, George had a whole lifetime of experiences and stories that were behind what made him not only a great photographer, but a very intriguing human being as well.

George Smallsreed

When George was alive he always related the story of one of his first assignments for the USTA. He had been sent to Florida to take photos of then star Bret Hanover and arrived in mid-morning to find trainer Frank Ervin and Richard Downing having a drink outside the horse's stall.

"'Frank said to me, boy if you want a photo of that horse, you'd better get your rear-end back here at five in the morning when he jogs,' So the next morning I showed up at 5 am and Frank was there, in full colors and everythign. We became good friends after that first meeting," George had said.

Whenever there was a big race, George was there. And he'd also show up at some out-of-the way places from time to time. And he was never without his cat, Whitey Hanover or Whitey Hanover II.

Back in 1957 Smallsreed was presented with an award for being the 1957 Photographer of the Year by Richard Nixon, and previously had been twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize while working as a photographer for the Columbus Dispatch. He was at that gig for 17 years and in 1963 interviewed with former Hoof Beats editor Stan Bergstein in Chicago for a job as the USTA's chief photographer.

"Bergstein had seen a photo of min in the Columbus Dispatch of Bret Hanover racing at the Ohio State Fair and that's when he wanted to know if I wanted a job," George had said. "When I talked to Bergstein, he hired me right away."

Smallsreed followed the Grand Circuit schedule, from Ohio to Illinois, Indiana, Lexington and then to Florida in the winter to visit the training centers.

"A good photographer is always innovative and always has a camera ready," George used to say. "You should always have five or six cameras set up around a race tack if you're covering a big event, and you shouldn't be afraid to be innovative. And don't be afraid to immitate other photographer or copy what they do--the best people deserve to be copied if they're successfull."

Today, George Smallsreed is remembered for being a fixture at all the big races, with his trademark cowboy hat, his toothy grin and his three or four camers dangling from around his neck. But George is best remembered for some of his beautiful photographs of the the industry's top stars, and though George has left us, his images provide us with a reminder of his great skill and artistry.

2006 Personality Archives
May: Rick Moore
April: Kevin Mack
March: Tom Kelley
February: Dick Buxton
January: Walter Paisley