view raw text
► — — i Lincoln Fields Notebook By J. J. MURPHY WASHINGTON PARK, Homewood, HI., June 14. — The jockey who won the last race ever staged over the Lincoln Fields track is now a successful trainer at Washington Park. He is Ralph Bonn, who conditions the horses of the Emerald Hill Stable of Maurice White, Chicago sportsman. Following that Lincoln finale, Bohn, because of his increasing weight and his love for mashed potatoes arid gravy, hung up his tack and started in as conditioner in 1943. . .Increasing weight has been a bugaboo to many jockeys, and when the subject arises Bobby McRoberts, now doing quite well in the saddle at Hollywood Park, always comes to mind. But for 10 pounds of weight McRoberts would probably have been one of Americas top reinsmen. He has loads of natural ability, fine judge of pace, excellent with the whip, and great with young horses, but old man avoirdupois gets him. He has retired from the saddle on numerous occasions and has taken out trainers licenses a couple of times, but always fights off the temptations of fattening foods to come back. This return seems to be his best. He recently won the first and second races at Hollywood with horses paying very large prices . Some of the riders at Washington Park who cannot take any liberties with apple pie and ice cream, are Charlie Swain, Avelino Gomez, Andy LoTurco and Robert Baird. One of their chief duties in life is to watch the, scales. Harold Keene can eat most anything and remain at about the same level the year round. Fellows like Adams and South are heavy but too short to pack much poundage. Jockey Avelino Gomez, the popular Cuban who began his turf career a little oyer six years ago, hopes by this time next season to have completed his 1,000th trip to the winners circle. The 23-year-old was born in Havana and scored his first success in 1945 at Mexico City. At three different times during his career he has ridden six winners on. a single program. He turned in the performances at Mexico City, Havana and Ascot Park, Ohio. Gomez is the idol of racegoers in his homeland, where* he spends the winter months; He is at present well up on the jockey list at the Lincoln Fields meeting and has about the highest percentage of any rider at the meeting. . It is reported that William A. Reagan, who served as steward at Sportsmans Park and placing judge- at the Lincoln Fields meeting, willbe appointed assistant racing secretary to Frank Kilroe at both Arlington and Washington Parks. Former Governor John Stelle,. of Illinois, recently .lunched in the clubhouse with trainer Dwight Denham. The Stelle horses will be sent to Arlington Park . .Dave Sazer will ship hisv10-horse stable to Detroit. , . The following horses, trained by Myron Smith, will be shipped to Detroit Monday: Victorian Dog, -Heres Ed, Banovina, Straeth, Non Ferro, Try Again and Sam-mies Image . Miche, the gray handicap runner who has done most of his racing on the West Coast, may be in for a crack at! Arlington Parks Equipoise Mile. Two West-! erners-who have tried for the race in the past and failed but finished second, were Thumbs Up and Georgie Drum, the former a California-bred, the latter from the State of Washington. . Harry Lurie, who worked at Washington Park as a pari-mu-tuel employe at the opening meeting of the track, is a regular visitor. He was. also employed at the old Washington Park track. Is now a great-grandfather. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Emick and Gilbert, Jr., arrived from their home in Continued on Page Thirty-Five I LINCOLN FIELDS NOTEBOOK , , i Continued from Page Three Kansas City, Mo., for a short visit. Their horses here "are handled by C. W. Tague. . . . Mrs. J. M. Amherd, only woman trainer on the grounds, sent her first winner of the season to the post Wednesday when Quatre Blanc was successful. . . . Certainly no one should question the courage of jockey Johnny Adams. Following his beating by hoodlums the veteran i gamely attempted to ride Wednesday, but the pain of his bruises just would not permit him to finish out the day. He will not acqept any more mounts at this meeting, but will journey to Delaware Park Saturday to ride Astro in the Delaware Oaks, following which he will be seen, in action at Arlington Park. Trainer Jack Hodgins will leave for Delaware Saturday morning to saddle Astro . . . Jockey John Bev, serving a -15-day suspension, will be permitted to ride Sa-baean in Saturdays Lincoln Handicap. He had been signed before the penalty was meted out. Valley View Farm, owners of Sabaean, will have 18 head at Arlington. s Doug M. Davis, Jr., master of High Hope Farm, which is situated near Lexington, is visiting for a few days . . . Trainer C. C. Norman returned from Clarkston, Ky:, where he was called through the death of his father . . . Trainer Harry Trotsek and jockey Ken Church got back from Suffolk Downs, where Oil Capitol started in the Massachusetts Handicap. The colts next engagement may be in the Queens County Handicap at Aqueduct . . . Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth G. Marshall, of Birmingham, Ala?, who has some horses here in charge of Charlie Sanborn, arrived for an extended visit . . . Owner William Wickham, whose horses here are in charge of Tommy Root, left for his home in Bloomfield, Ky. Horses for tomorrow are: AMOUR AMOUR, a two -year-old who has been working well; MISTER MORGAN, who was disqualified after beating INSEPARABLE, and WITCH SIR,, a former stakes winner. They are in the third, sixth, and eighth races, respectively.
