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JOCKEY T P MARTIN Who takes takescare care of the riding of AVitan for the theMartin Martin family GEORGE C WHITE Who trains the Rosedale Stable horses which are cur ¬ rently campaigning at Lincoln Fields WITAN PRIZED RACER Trained by Clinton J Exercised by George Ridden by Thomas P and Carries Mrs Martins Silks SilksCRETE CRETE 111 June 16 While you read more about them there is more to racing than the Whirlaways the Eight Thirtys and the Seabiscuits There are the veteran old selling platers who make up the bulk of the fields in most of the races at most of the race tracks around the country horses with j not much in the way of class or speed but plenty in the way of courage who keep more than one family alive by winning a race now and again Such a horse as Witan a nineyearold Wise Counsellor gelding out of the mare Asia When Witan goes to the races he runs in the silks of Mrs M E Martin Clinton J Martin is listed as the trainer and Thomas Patrick Martin is in the saddle Behind the scenes George Mar ¬ tin does what exercising on the plater that has to be done and then rushes over to the racing secretarys office to enter him in a 1500 claiming race Hes a family horse and a family breadwinner in the widest meaning of these words because he keeps the Mar ¬ tins mother father and boys going during the course of the year yearOnly Only a cheap horse nevertheless Witan has been an honest campaigner since he first came to the races back there in 1934 Eddie Arcaro rode him the day that he grad ¬ uated from the maiden ranks But Eddie wasnt Whirlaways jockey in those days He was just an olivefaced youngster from New ¬ port Ky who was Clarence E Davisons bug rider Now look where he is on the top of the heap while Witan is still being sweated for the brass around the country countrySTARTED STARTED IN 121 RACES RACESA A check of Witans racing record reveals that he has been to the races 121 times since he first had a saddle thrown over his back Not a year has passed but what he has won j at least one race The Wise Counsellor geld ¬ ing won one race in nine starts as a two yearold in 1934 JHe wasnt a great horse then and he isnt a great horse now but he always managed to win The year 1937 when he was a fiveyearold was a big year in Witans racing career probably his big ¬ gest The gelded son of Wise Counsellor went to the races eighteen times that year and won eight races finished second four times and third once while earning 5475 in purse money moneyBred Bred by Fred A Burton Witan first went to the races in the colors of Burtons Ever ¬ glades Stable but he has changed hands many times since then One day when he was running at Agawam Park up in Mas ¬ sachusetts now closed there were eigh ¬ teen claims in the box When they drew lots for him he went to Henri Torriente Another time he raced for Sigmund Orrs During his entire campaign of seven and onehalf seasons Witan hasnt earned what the Whirlaways the Seabiscuits and the Eight Thirtys can win in one race The Martin gelding has won thirtyone races in 121 starts finished second twenty times third twentytwo times and finished out of the money on fortyfour occasions His earnings total 21940 21940NEVER NEVER ENTIRELY SOUND SOUNDWitans Witans record is all the more remarkable when it is considered that he has never been entirely sound Bad front legs and a lack of understanding of how to train him on the part of some of his trainers has kept him from winning more races than he has hasI I dont work him much Clinton Mar ¬ tin related when talking about the Martin breadwinner I cant His legs are too bad I just try to keep him loosened up Hes old and he stiffens up if he hasnt got much straw in his stall for bedding beddingThe The old horse is getting so that he has to sleep on one side Hes so stiff in the morn ¬ ing that he cant get up if he sleeps on the other otherWeve Weve had him for a couple of years and were attached to him I know the old horse Hes won everywhere hes raced Miami Bowie New England and here Hes got plenty of guts We walk him around about a half hour before he races to loosen him up and then we walk him around again for fifteen minutes after he races so that he wont stiffen up all at once onceWhile While Witan at the age of nine is an old horse many horses have continued racing long after their ninth year He can keep on racing says Martin as long as he is taken care of With those bad legs of his he needs a lot of care careEXAMINE EXAMINE RACING RECORDS RECORDSAn An examination of the racing records of horses of various ages in the American Rac ¬ ing Manual shows that Stand By went to the post last year eleven times won one race and finished second once at the age of four ¬ teen Somers Choice a thirteenyearold went to the races twentyone times won four races finished second in ten and third in three 1940Other while earning 2060 during 1940 Other aged horses who had creditable rec ods during the 1940 campaign were Ride away Brandon Prince Cruising and Bach ¬ elor Philip to lead the horses of their own age in winning races and purse earnings Hideaway was the leading twelveyearold with two victories in twelve starts while earning 1650 Brandon Prince led the elevenyearolds by winning five races in thirtyone starts finishing second in six and third in seven to complete the year with purse earnings of 4195 At ten years of age Cruising won six races in thirtyfour starts finishing second seven times third in five i oes and earned 5265 Bachelor Philip who led the nineyearolds during 1940 won one race in eight starts finished third three times and earned 8775 Of course Bachelor Philip is a steeplechaser and earned most of that money when he won the Georgetown Steeplechase Handicap at Delaware Park LEASES SCHULINGS CONTRACT CONTRACT1NGLEWOOD 1NGLEWOOD Calif June 16 C H Hartwell trainer of the horses owned by H Crowel has leased from A R Williams the services of apprentice H J Schuling 17yearold Des Moines reinsman Schuling who can ride as light as 100 pounds has had considerable experience riding in the bushes but has yet to ride a winner on a major race track Hartwell hopes to get him started on a riding career in earnest here at Hollywood Park
