view raw text
Thumbnail Sketches of Derby Trainers G DON CAMERON Count Fleet One of Californias native sons Cameron has many years of experience as a trainer be ¬ hind him After his college days Cameron became associated with his father in the racing of a stable and when lie felt sure of his ground he branched out for himself Before his engagement as trainer of the horses owned by Mr and Mrs John Hertz the 200pound Cameron directed the turf interests tif the late J Shirley Riley and later for a time trained for William L Brann BrannC C EDWARD COATES Modest Lad This Springfield La horseman had an interesting career as a jockey before he be ¬ came a trainer He had 100odd mounto over a period of three or four years and never rode a winner He was brought out by C H Pat Knebelkamp and later did some riding for John Schorr He had his first mount in 1927 at the New Orleans Fair Grounds JAMES W HEALY Gold Shower Will have the distinction of being the biggest man in the paddock when the Derby horses are saddled Well over six feet in height and well over 200 pounds in weight Healy has to look up to no man Educated to veterinary work Healy spent little time following the profession for which he was trained His first connection with racing was with the trotters which he later aban ¬ doned in favor of the runners runnersJACK JACK HODGINS Amber Light Born in Illinois but a resident of Kentucky for the last 25 years this rugged sixfooter has spent a lifetime around horses He began as an exercise rider out in Montana and though he was too tall to become a suc ¬ cessful jockey he did handle a few horses in match races out west In his long ex ¬ perience on the turf Hodgins has filled various roles He has rubbed horses was once a valet has served as a farm manager and for many years was an assistant starter BEN A JONES Ocean Wave In rac ¬ ing practically all his life Plain Ben operated for many years on the bush cir ¬ cuits of the West before he gravitated to the big time Under the name of the Jones Stock Farm which he calls his place in Parnell Mo Jones campaigned thor ¬ oughbreds for many years until around 1927 he took over the stable of Herbert M Woolf About four years ago he was en ¬ gaged as trainer of Warren Wrights Calu met Farm and he has been with that stable ever since For each of these patrons Jones saddled a Derby winner Lawrin for Woolf in 1938 and Whirlaway for Wright in 1941 WALTER KELLEY Blue Swords Like so many other successful horsemen Kelley was a jockey before he turned to training horses A native of New York he went to California with John A Coburn when a boy and began his riding career in 1922 The same year he rode his first winner a horse named Red Legs at Tanforan When his riding days were over he transferred his attentions to the training of horses and since has handled the thoroughbreds of a number of patrons DAVE ROBB McDANIEL Dove Pie Born in Versaille Ky 54 years ago Mc Daniel comes from a family of horse folk and he has been connected with the sport all his life He rode for eight years for such stables as those maintained by Len and James Curl James R Keene August Belmont and H P Whitney His father Dave was one of three brothers all of ofwhom whom were prominent horsemen A E SILVER Burnt Cork Got his first experience with horses by developing polo ponies many of whom saw action in international play His success with polo ponies prompted a fellow Californian to send him out on the California fair circuit with four thoroughbred runners Silver liked the game succeeded in it and re ¬ mained ROY WALDRON No Wrinkles Had the distinction of winning the Derby with the first horse he ever saddled for it He accomplished this feat with Gallahadion in 1940 Waldron a native of Youngstown Ohio was a jockey before lie became a trainer and was introduced to the turf by George Scott of Texas He later rode for Andy Blakely and others HOWARD WELLS Bankrupt has been training horses since he left the University of Kentucky some 16 years ago and ac ¬ quired much of his experience with thor ¬ oughbreds with his uncle Howard Oots Is a native of Lexington Ky Has never had a Kentucky Derby horse but saddled Tearout for his Latonia Derby victory in 1935 CECIL WILHELM Slide Rule and Twoses This tall slender westerner spent the first 28 years of his life along the Cali ¬ forniaNevada border and for some years before he came to the races was manager of a cattle ranch Earlier he dabbled in mining and oil drilling with hisjather who made and lost a fortune probing into the earth Wilhelms first thoroughbred pos ¬ session was a mare named First Pullet a gift who eventually dropped a colt by Bon Homme who was to be known to racing as First Pip It was about this time that the ranch which he supervised was sold so with First Pip as a nucleus Wilhelm as ¬ sembled a modest stable and headed for the race tracks He enjoyed his first state of success in 1933 at Tanforan when Sun T won for him and he has been on the turf ever since
