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DERBY AND WINN SYNONYMOUS • Kentuckys Great Racing Spectacle in Rise From Obscurity to Fame. ♦ Genial Executive Head of Churchill Downs Man Behind the Upbuilding of Americas Most Popular Race. LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 2.— On this afternoon a throng occupying every available seat and packed on every inch of standing room at beautiful and spacious Churchill Downs acclaimed the winner of the 1936 Kentucky Derby, but unconsciously they also were shouting a tribute to the man whose vision and promotional genius made the race a national institution and household word. He is Col. Matt J. Winn, executive director of Churchill Downs, and he was sitting unob-strusively in his private box in the clubhouse watching the spectacle which marks another milestone in his career as guardian saint of the most fascinating race on the American racing calendar. Watching the spring coronation of King Horse in the Derby will be no new experience for this gentleman, whose being and appearance belies his seventy-four years, for he has seen them all from 1875 when it was just a horse race. Thirteen-year-old Matt watched the first running of the Derby from a tree in the centerfield and it must have been then J.hat he entertained the first notion that he himself one day would stage this race, but in a more magnificent setting and as an important turf event. Outstanding accomplishments frequently evolve from such dreams. The Derby was worth only a meager ,000 in added money when Winn saw its first running from the limb of a tree and it netted only ,850 to Major T. C. McDowell when Alan-A-Dale won it in 1902, the year Colonel Winn became general manager of Churchill Downs. When he took over the reins at Louisvilles historic old racing plant, Colonel Winn determined to elevate the stake from a race of overnight importance to an extravaganza and he achieved his end in 1921 when it became one of the richest turf classics on the globe— worth 0,000 in added money. UPWARD TREND AGAIN. Came the stock market crash with its attendant money panic and for financial reasons all too apparent, Colonel Winn reluctantly decreased the value of his pet attraction in 1934 to 0,000. Last year he raised the purse 0,000 and this year again it will be worth 0,000 in added money, but the venerable executive director of Churchill Downs has visions of elevating the prize to its peak value once again, perhaps next year. The winner of the Derby— no, youll never hear Colonel Winn express a favorite for the Derby — at least, no one has ever heard him make a selection for the race, which he has made famous since he became identified with the management of the Downs. He feels his position does not permit him to try to select winners of any race, not even the Derby. His only concern about the running of a race over his track is that it be truly run and that the best horse wins. Not that the lovable old colonel doesnt like to see the horses run. He wouldnt trade his box in the Churchill Downs clubhouse for all the opulence his position offers and, privately, he may have his choice of a winner, but whatever that choice may be remains secreted within him. In the administration of his affairs as executive director of Churchill Downs, La-tonia and Lincoln Fields, Colonel Winn has surrounded himself with an able staff of associates, the wisdom of whose selection has been exemplified by the success these tracks have enjoyed. HIS EARLY LIFE. Colonel Winn wasnt born to the turf. He developed his affinity for the racing game. As a young man he was successful as a salesman for a wholesale grocery concern in Louisville, and later became interested in a tailoring business in this city, which prospered for many years. Having saved his money, it was just after the turn of the century that young Mr. Winn interested himself in Churchill Downs sufficiently to invest in the promotion of the track and it was then that was introduced to racing one of the games most colorful and forceful figures. Colonel Winn, in the years that followed his induction to the sport, managed tracks in Kentucky, New York, Maryland, New Orleans, Illinois and elsewhere, and by the sheer force of his personality and genius made a success of all of them. But Col. Winns principal flare is for the spectacular. It was he that engineered the great match between Hourless and Omar Khayyam in 1907 at Laurel, and the memorable battle between Billy Kelly and Eternal the following year. Further, it was Colonel Winn who arranged the great match race between Zev and In Memoriam here at Churchill Downs, and, with the late August Belmont, staged the historic international series in which Epinard, the French turf luminary, was the principal attraction. Colonel Winn may arrange many more outstanding turf features during his life, but there will never be one to replace the Derby in his affections. •
