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Preakness of Long Ago Recalled by Sam H. Fisher Nonagenarian Rode 1884 and 86 Winners of Famed Pimlico Stake PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 10.— A few blocks from Pimlico, a quiet little man in his nineties sits contentedly thinking back over a brilliant racing career which ended 50 years ago. In 1?84, Sam H. Fisher won the Preakness with Knight of Ellerslie, and repeated in 1886 on The Bard. He began to ride in 1872 when, at the age of 14, he weighed in at 87 pounds. "We all rode light in those days," Mr. Fisher recalls. "They began pushing the weight up after the turn of the century." For a 1919 Old Timers Race at Pimlico, he had to carry 45 pounds of lead to make the 160 weight assigned to veteran riders, most of whom had picked up plenty since their jockey days. The one-time Preakness winner has put on some pounds in the past few years, during which he has been fairly inactive. His daily exercise now consists of a swing around the block from his home at 2422 Briarwood Road, Pimlico, and a brief walk in the garden with his three daughters who live with him. Most of the day, Mr. Fisher spends chain smoking cigars, listening to the radio, and reminiscing in his living room, the walls of which are hung with racing paintings. He points with pride to two paintings showing him as a youthful rider, in silks, on The Bard and Eurus. Both portraits were painted at Sheepshead Bay by an artist identified as C. Lloyd. Over the Fisher fireplace, the place of honor picture is of Jimmy McLaughlin on the famous Hanover. McLaughlin and Sam Fisher were great buddies during their riding days. After his retirement 50 years ago, Mr. Fisher served as a Pimlico starter. He bought his home in the countryside near the race track in 1887. Most of the old place has been sold off, and Mr. Fisher and his daughters live in a house on the last acre of the original homestead. One of Mrs. Fishers two sons lives nearby. Asked if he knew Sunny Jim Fitzsim-mons during his riding days, Mr. Fisher said, "You mean that nice little boy from Sheepshead Bay? Surely, I knew him, a good lad."
