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Garroutte Will Return To Saddle at Ak-Sar-Ben Is Down to Riding Weight Again Following Period of Inactivity OMAHA, Neb., May 16. — Jimmy Garroutte,- top rider at the Ak-Sar-Ben race meet the last two years, will be back in the saddle again when opening day rolls around on May 24. The soft-spoken Garroutte copped apprentice riding honors at the 1947 meet and won top honors as a full-fledged jockey last year when under contract to the veteran horseman, Guy Shultz, of Marland, Okla. The 20-year-old farm boy from Burbank, Okla., retired temporarily from the riding field last summer when his weight creeped up on him. He arrived at Ak-Sar-Ben two weeks ago weighing a strong 135 pounds. Wednesday he tipped the scales at 115 and hopes to be down to 106 by opening day a week from next Tuesday. To trim his weight, Garroutte bundles up in heavy winter clothing with a rubber suit on the outside and trots around AkrSar-Ben field until he sweats off a few pounds. He has been engaged by V. W. Leff ler of Richmond Heights, Mo., to ride his. four head which showed up well at New Orleans last winter. They include Gabe, Good Ground and Plutocrat. Otherwise, he will be a free lance rider. Meantime, more than 500 horses are on the grounds at Ak-Sar-Ben in preparation for the 32 days of racing which will come — — j __ to a close with a gala holiday card on July 4. Presiding steward Dick Leigh believes that Ak-Sar-Ben patrons this year will see the finest horseflesh in history in action. Ak-Sar-Bens racing secretary, Raleigh Leigh, son of the steward, arrived Wednesday to take his place among the official family after serving~-on the staff at Lincoln Downs.
