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I t ! L : ! ! . i ! i j I j j j I I ! IVAN PARKES HISTORY Now Famous Jockey Tells How He Began His Turf Career, His Eventful Trip in an Old Ford From His Home in Idaho to the Tijuana Track. Jockey Ivan Parke was chatting with a few of his friends in his apartments at the Roosevelt in New Orleans recently when ono of them, noting the luxurious surroundings of the lad, remarked: "Pretty soft for you, Ivan and you de- serve it." "But it was not always soft," rejoined Ivan. "I can remember when I had only 15 cents to m.y name; had not the slightest ideal whether I would ever make good; in fact. didnt known whether I would ever see a re :I race track. I remember it exceedingly well, because it was less than a year ago." Mose Goldblatt, who was present, cut in. "Start at the beginning," he suggested, "Well," began Parke, "I have always liked horses. My parents had a small ranch in Idaho, near the town of Delco. I could rido a horse about as easily as I could walk. I got a chance to ride at a bush track in tho summer of 1922. I managed not to fall off. I have an older brother who was riding then and he seemed to think I showed promise. "I didnt dream I would ever have a chanco of being a jockey until one day an old man named W. G. Jenkins, a small, dried-up fellow, drove up to my fathers ranch house. Jenkins was in a rattling old Ford which moved by the hardest. "Jenkins told dad I looked like a boy who would soon learn to ride, and a deal was closed whereby I was to accompany Jenkins to Tijuana. It was a long trip and every time I think of it I shudder. We went through ravines and canyons, down steep mountain descents and over hundreds and hundreds of miles of all kinds of roads, most of them being deep with snow. It was tho month of February. SARDINES CHIEF FOOD. "We lived chiefly on sardines and bread and I slept in the back of the Ford. I remember the old man got the idea of tying a treo to the Ford as a sort of ballast when tho darn thing started down a mountain road. I thought the tree might swerve and drag us down a thousand-foot precipice. While tho old man was preparing the tree, I turned tho Ford on high and went down the steep road. "Twenty minutes later Jenkins came alone; puffing and was mighty sore. I told him the engine got beyond control and as everything had come out O. K., Jenkins was satisfied. "That incident shows Ivan had even then the initiative he utilizes to such good advantage in riding these days," commented Mr. Goldblatt. "There was only once when I was really frightened, but that once was enough" to make my hair turn gray, though I was little more than a child. ." Ivan, if you let that car stop before wo reach the top of the mountain, I will kill you, old man Jenkins told me. "The lizzie skimmed up the mountain road in great shape, but just before the top was reached it began to sputter and totter and then it stopped dead. Jenkins approached mo and said: For two cents, young feller, Id take this wood ax and chop off your head. "I feel sure that if the llivver had stopped half way down the road the old man would have made good his threat HIS FIRST 3IOUXT. "At last we reached Tijuana. My first mount was Glenzar. Jenkins told me to lay off the early pace and come from behind. "Youll do no such thing," interrupted Mrs. Jenkins. "You get that mare away from tho barrier on the jump, beat her all the way and ride like the devil. If you dont Ill kill you." "I was not yet 1C and she surely put a, scare into me. Jenkins was my boss, but I obeyed his wife and won the race by a nose. "After Tijuana closed we set out for Kentucky. "Thats where I got my first glimpse oC him." said Mr. Goldblatt, who took up tho narrative. "The minute I laid my eyes on him I saw he was a genuine rider. I offered Jenkins 00 for second call on him and tho offer was accepted. "Later, I began negotiations for his whole contract. Mr. Parke must be a good business man, because he stipulated in his contract with Jenkins that the lads contract should not be sold for less than 0,000, and that they would share 50-50 in the proceeds. "I offered 0,000 for the contract. Jenkins agreed and I gave him a check for this amount. He boarded a. train for the West and after fourteen days had elapsed I had. begun to worry. But two days later he came, back. "Everything was O. K.. but Mr. Parko objected to the clause that provided that halC of the boys earnings should be held in cs- Continucd on second naze. IVAN PARKED HISTORY Continned from first page. crow. The "Whitneys for whqm Iwas acting always made this provision to protect the boys against extravagant or improvident parents. "Mr. Parke held out. He said he did not want the money, but he wanted the lad to have all the money. The "Whitneys gave in, deciding that if Parkes own father was willing to trust him with big money that the boy was worthy. "Things are soft for me now," mused Parke. "Ivan is prospering, all right, but there are not many boys who would regard his life as soft," said Mr. Goldblatt.. "He gets up in the morning at G, drinks a cup of coffee, ; goes to the track, gallops horses, eats breakfast, coes back to the hotel, and then what do you think he does? "Goes back to bed and sleeps until 12 :30. "As a result, when he reaches the track hes as fresh as a daisy. "Ivan is a thrifty lad. He goes to a movie show every night. He always selects one of the dime shows with exciting movies. Then he hustles back to the hotel and is tucked away under the cover by 9." Ivans ambition is to be a ranch owner. He has already made his plans to retire after he has acquired a certain amount. The boy is his own banker. Every week he makes his deposit, and one of his greatest pleasures is to see his balance rapidly grow-in?. Bobby Bowers is Parkes unofficial guardian, being employed by Mr. Goldblatt to watch the lads interests in every way. "When I get ready to quit riding and settle down as a ranch owner, Ill get Bobby to go out West and buy the ranch for me," said Ivan. "Bobby can get it cheaper because they dont know him. If I were to try to buy it they would raise the prise because some of them believe I have a million, which, of course, is nonsense." Parke shuns hero worship. Ho never lingers in the lobby of the hotel to strut around as do many successful jockeys, but rushes for the first elevator.
