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BETWEEN RACES * osteons CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., April 30. — In the great and rightful ado over the running of the Derby on Saturday, it might be overlooked that there is tradition, too, among those who make the Derby possible and who make your afternoon of the big race one to treasure ar.c remember. Such a personality, of course, is Matt Winn, who conceived the Derby as Americas outstanding race and proceeded to develop it into just that. Still mother, but not as widely known, is E. A. Weidekamp, director of pari-mutuel wagering, and who will be on har.c Saturday for his thirty-eighth Derby. Weidekamp started l:fe in Louisville as a telephone technician. It so happer.ed in 1907 that a phone between the stewards stand and the calculating room went out of order and, as the result of a call for a repairman, Weidekamp was sent out on the job. The late Eugene Elrod was in charge of the mmWm iwt in those days, watched the speed and eff.o.er.oy wVLh which the technician made the needed repa.: I end ottered him a job, on the spot, for the next ■eBOOBL Weidekamp accepted and his talent for organi-7m..-.i.cS. work, as well as technical ability, soon asserted . end be POOfl became a chief aide to Mr. Elrod. By a co.:. idene*, a youngster by the name of Ernie White Vent to POCk Or BlOd the MOM year, ;;oon, too, became highly ng n ded UMl MM Ihwdflj advanced. When Elrod ..-. 11*25, Mr. Weidekamp was promptly appointed M Hi rpffiy. and Whtti is hLs tint lieutenant. AAA The y:ar Weidekamp went to work, 1908, saw but %14,ihj wagered on the Derby itself. That figure has elJflBbed until, Laat year, Raw a new record, i. 202.474 "J well remember how elated we were In IS] 7. saya Weidekamp, "when we hit more thgfl 1100,000 «j the DrfbjT, v,e thought then we were on our way." By way o! itattftflejj It might be Interesting to make a few comparison*, Thus Saturday, exactly ,000,000 in change Derby Play Reflects Growth of Mutuels 8,500 Bet in 1908; ,202,474 Last Year Care of Track Exhaustive All-Year Task Downs Outrider Has Held Job Since 1917 will be on hand to expedite the selling and cashing of tickets. While there is a bit of uncertainty as yet over a few locations, there will be at least, and possibly a few more, 391 regular sellers, 382 cashiers and 36 "preliminary" sellers. These preliminary men will sell tickets on the Derby only, and will continue until the fifth race. At that time, all Derby wagers will be audited, and will show on the first pool at the opening of the regular "tote" wagering on the big race. AAA Consider, too, Tom Young, the track superintendent. Young was called to Louisville from his native Buffalo, N. Y., in 1912 to landscape the Churchill property, did such a good job that he also was invited to stay on as track superintendent. Since then, he has combined the job of keeping the famed Churchill strip well manicured, as well as building up the floral display which will be outstanding for the Derby throngs on Saturday. One item is the tulip beds, in full bloom, In the clubhouse area. This was the first year in many that Holland bulbs could be obtained. "We started with Holland tulips the year Old Rosebud won the Derby," says Young, "und we have had as many as 30,000 plants in bloom at once." AAA A word about the footing for the Derby may be in Order. The track has not been re:, in faced :.ince 1936, although since tiiat date a new one inch dieting of specially prepared "mix" has been administered. Thla 1« made with Hand, loam from the "left bank of a Kentucky .-.Ueam" and humuH. Properly aged, l» addition to the ojlglnal soil adds life and resiliency. Soil, oepoelejhjl that of a race course, has a tendency to become "dead" after years of pounding. At no time has Churchill ever been made pasteboard to satisfy any ambitions toward speed records. Even when fast, the track is kept with a deep cushion that makes for safety, and there is no high incidence of breakdowns as often occurs at tracks which are pasteboarded, so to speak. Churchill is built on river alluvial deposits, and it is a long way down, through sand and gravel to bedrock. As might be expected, the track is fast to dry, and even when muddy, cannot be classed as a true mud track, i.e., holding and with a tendency to clod up. Young and his longtime chief assistant. Cliff Burke, find that it takes eternal vigilance and work to keep Churchill at its very best. "A pasteboard track will tend to hold itself together," explained Young, "whereas a deep-cushion track requires lots of water and constant harrowing." AAA The proud and stately parade of Derby starters to the post will be led by red-coated Joe Moran. also a Derby tradition. Moran is the dean of American outriders, now active. He was born in Carson City. Nov., came east to gallop horses for the late E. R. Bradley and, after long service, gave that up to become an outrider. His first post was in New Orleans in the winter of 1916, and he came to Kentucky the next year. His first Derby parade saw the only English-bred winner in the history of the race, namely, Omar Khayyam. He has led the parade ever since. One of the outstanding happenings in tht race lie recalls as occurring in 1921. when Hehave Yourself, breaking from the rail, was as good as left at the post, but came on to win anyway by a head from his own stablemate, Hlaek Servant The flagman left his pennant to help with the start." says Moran. "and he Just wasnt skilled enough to net Hehave Yourself away with the field " Moran also observed that the trend toward sending horses to the post with a stable pony la a modern habit. "1 never knew of uny rule against it In the old days, but they Just didnt do It," he concluded.
