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► , 1 1 ■ . . " "IIMI "" WgiyK ■ - ■, , TRAINERS OF KENTUCKY DERBY WINNERS— Each of these men saddled at least one victor in the Blue Grass classic, which is being renewed at Churchill Downs today. They are, from left to right, James Fitzsimmons Gallant Fox, 1930; Omaha, 1935; Johnstown, 1939; H. Hughes George Smith, 1916; B. A. Jones Lawrin, 1938; Whirlaway, 1941; Pensive, 1944; C. H. Hughes Lieut. Gibson, 1900; I. Parke Hoop Jr., 1945, and H. McDaniel Exterminator, 1918. Winn at Churchill Helm Since 1902 Has Viewed Every Running of Derby Veteran Official Credited With Building Event Into International Prominence CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 2. — More than a lifetime dream, thats what the Kentucky Derby has been to Col. Matt J. Winn, 86-year-old master of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Measured by the yardstick generally accepted as the standard of mans existence, three score and 10, Colonel Winn will have enjoyed his lifes dream 73 years when the winner of tomorrow afternoons Derby leads the seventy-third Derby field under the wire at historic Churchill Downs. From that Monday afternoon, back there on May 17, 1875, where, as a barefoot boy of 13, he watched the immortal Aristides lead Volcano home in the inaugural of a race which was to become world famous, until he sits in his tower in the centerfield across from the judges stand tomorrow and sees a 1947 three-year-old thunder down the stretch to win Americas turf classic, Colonel Winn has not missed a Derby. Sometimes he had to get up out of a sick-bed to be there; sometimes he had to take time out from some of his private affairs. But from the first, he has dreamed of watching the Kentucky Derby grow into the most colorful sports spectacle in America, and though his dream came true many years ago, it lingers sweetly on as each year sees a more brilliant attendance, wider spread interest and a more beautiful stage setting. Oversees Vast Work Much water has gone under the bridge since 1875, and there is a vast gap between the barefoot kid who got into the first Derby "under the tent" and the white-haired old gentleman who has been ordered to exclude himself in his observation tower, as he oversees the master work of his own hand. From the time he interested himself in Churchill Downs in 1902, one of the biggest thrills Colonel Winn got out of the Derby was meeting, in person, all the nations celebrities and the famous men in racing. From every corner of America they gathered at Churchill Downs on Derby day, and that day would not have been complete, either for them or for the man who worked so tirelessly to make the Derby the classic it is, if the handclasp of warm friendship had not been included. None would have thought of visiting the Derby without dropping by to pay respects to the Colonel. But to a man who already has asked his physical being for too much, these hundreds of handshakes several years ago were, of necessity, ordered to a minimum Finally, within the past year or two. Colonel Winn found himself compelled to seclude himself on Derby day because, as a true Southern gentleman, he would have grasped the extended hand of a friend had it been his last effort. Watches Race From Centerfield Tower Because it has become physically impossible for him to shake hands with all the old friends he would like to greet and the new ones he would like to meet, the American turfs "Lord Derby," in order to see all of the race and all of the enormous work of handling a Derby day crowd, watches from a specially-built tower in the center field. From that point he is present for the presentation of the trophy, too. For winning the first Derby, Aristides won ,900 and the trophy. For winning tomorrows race, the victor will gain for his owner a purse of close to 00,000 and a gold cup valued at ,000. Every year has found the attendance, the volume of betting and the world-wide interest in the Derby increasing. Every year has necessitated re-arrangement of accommodations at spacious Churchill Downs to handle the ever-growing throngs. From Hawaii, from South America, and from Europe come many to join the thousands who trek from California to Maine, from Florida and Louisiana to Alaska. No lover of racing, or of the thoroughbred, can resist the call of the Kentucky Derby if it is possible for him to attend. The Derby will live forever as a monument to a long and tireless life devoted to making the Derby the outstanding race in America and one of the few truly great races in all the world. This monument, indestructible, will be alive and vital 100 years hence, and greater tribute could no man have.
