view raw text
BETWEEN RACES By OSCAR OTIS NEW YORK N Y May 3 We would like to pick up a few odds and ends before dropping the Kentucky Derby and proceeding on to the rac ¬ ing scene ffi New York New Jersey and Maryland Item number one con ¬ cerns the oldest rider extant of a Kentucky Derby winner and while such research is difficult because some of the old time riders have dropped from the racing picture from evi ¬ dence obtainable we think that honor may well go to Jim Boland currently a groom in the employ of Jack Hodgins trainer of Dixiana Boland won the Derby with Lieut Gibson in 1900 Not only that but the records show that he was third in the same race in 1901 being astride Driscoll which finished behind His Eminence and Sannazarro Boland originally came from Port Huron Mich drifted to Detroit where he began galloping horses graduated to riding in 1898 was in full sway in 1899 and the next year he added his name to the illustrious roster of Derby jockeys Increasing weight forced him from the saddle in 1904 He has been a groom ever since and entered the employ of Dixiana last year at Hawthorne Today he has no home but the race track but it must be said that at Dixiana he has a fine one He is given only the lighter tasks to do is treated with kindness and respect as befits the oneitime rider of a Kentucky Derby winner even though that auspicious event occurred many many years ago Jimmy Winkfield one of two colored jockeys to ride winners of the Kentucky Derby is now training five horses in Maryland They will be shipped to Charles Town for the summer meeting Wink field like the other colored rider Isaac Murphy rode the winners of two consecutive Derbies Winkfields vic ¬ tories were scored with His Eminence in 1901 and Alan ADale in 1902 Jim Boland Rates as Oldest Derby Rider Winkfield Prior7 Goose Among Veterans Ben Jones Urbane to Throngs at Stable Delaware Park Sets Record in Road Repair RepairThe The third oldest Derby rider in point of Derby run ¬ nings of whom we have knowledge is Frank Prior who piloted Elwood to victory for Mrs C E Durnell in 1904 Prior is currently the proprietor of a tavern at Napa near San Francisco in California In back of the bar hangs a single picture that of Elwood in the winners circle Incidentally this whole checkup started because some Louisville wa gs had been pointing out Roscoe Goose new president of the Kentucky Breeders Association as the oldest Derby rider Goose is just a youngster in compari ¬ son it woufd appear as his Derby horse Donerail did not emerge as the winner until 1913 The usual Goose affability bristled at this canard and he promptly dis ¬ closed the presence of Boland on the grounds And in speaking of Goose it might be added that he has made a distinct hit with the Kentucky breeders as a parliamen ¬ tarian in the conduct of the monthly meetings banging the gavel with the aplomb of a lieutenantgovernor and rising to rules of order that could show Roberts a thing or two A A A AOrie Orie of the more pleasing riding comebacks on the American turf has been that of Wilbur Bortdn who after an absence from the saddle of five years scored on his second accepted mount at Churchill Borton who comes from Lafayette Ind rode for four years for the afore ¬ mentioned Roscoe Goose then enlisted in the Marine Corps and saw extensive action overseas in the South Pacific Upon his return to civilian life weight put on in the service kept him from the saddle and he became an assistant trainer first to Tom Reilly and then to Tom Hill He decided to become an owner on his own account and Goose picked out a likely prospect for him in a youngster later to be named Tom H He doubled his money by selling him recently to Herman King of Holly ¬ woods Turf and Movie family and getting his weight under control t6 a steady 113 pounds returned to the saddle Borton lost little time in demonstrating form even thpifgh five years had gone by Which is an indica ¬ tion of what youth can do for a man He is still only 24 24I I A A A AHorses Horses and People People have marveled at the patience of Ben Jones under the steady requests of photographers for pictures of both Citation and Coal town the week prior to the Derby running There was a veritable assembly at the barn every morning but Jones was urbane through a trying time of it and posed both horses frequently Those stories to the effect that Col Matt Winn works 12 hours a day or more are quite true The man is up early and works late and especially during Derby week there are countless de ¬ cisions to be made calling for the prompt exercise of good judgment There is a right promising twoyearold racing in Kentucky and bred by J A Goodwin named Fayette County Most all hands are wondering how that name was overlooked for so long for Fayette County is acknowledged as the true home of the horse Add horses named after cities that have never amounted to much Atlantic City If this is wrong we hope some one will correct us but Delaware Park seems to have set a new alltime record in dhe respect Nearby road and highway work has just been completed well in advance of their scheduled inaugural Roadway work near all other tracks invariably is started just aboufothe time the meeting opens and is always completed the day after the meeting closes
