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Between Races By OSCAR OTIS CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky April 30 Horses and People Exercise boy John Schweizer of Elmont Long Island is in the at once fortu ¬ nate and rare position of being in line for a tidy stake if Cousin Pintor or Hannibal wins the Derby Schweizer head exer ¬ cise boy for trainer W L Passmore got to gallop Cousin after trainer Bill Winfreys regular boy broke his hand in a railroad un ¬ loading accident and it is not very often that a man gets three solid Derby horses to drill Schweizer a steeplechase pilot and who has been exer ¬ cising horses on the flat for some 23 years believes that an exercise boy plays an im portant role in the conditioning of any Derby starter and he takes his responsi ¬ bilities seriously He believes an exercise boy can do a better job of morning work than a rider because an exercise boy is trained to drill without taking too much out of a horse whereas a jockey funda ¬ mentally seeks to get the utmost from a horse by reason of his afternoon engage ¬ ments Perhaps this is not true in all in ¬ stances but the exceptions would seem to prove the rule but it is a fact that some exercise boys are standouts in their profes ¬ sion Jim Boland who rode Lieut Gibson to victory in 1900 is back again for another Derby Hes with Dixiana Trainer Jack Hodgins pensioned him last year but the man was not happy away from the race track begged to be allowed to return and Hodgins granted his request Jim will no doubt see every Derby run as long as he lives and age wears well on backstretchers backstretchersi i Last week we mentioned that Drawby sire of the Derby contender Smoke Screen was unknown in Kentucky or at least almost unknown We now learn that he is standing at Lazy Creek Farm of J M Harris an 87acre establishment o nthe Bardstown Road about nine miles from Churchill Downs Smoke Screen has given Drawby a fairly good book 11 mares to be exact Harris formerly ran the place exclusively as a rest farm the man being something of a wizard at patching up cripples and rejuvenating jaded campaigners With the advent of Drawby at stud the operation will be ex paneled to include production as well as reinvigoration WathenKnebelkamp of the Kentucky Racing Commission re ¬ marks after the brilliant opening days here at Churchill plus his observation of other racing centers that it is his opinion that racing is well on the way toward becoming the true number one national sport Im an old baseball man myself and so Im not prejudiced says Knebel kamp but the indications are growing that racing is entering an era of pop ¬ ularity and expansion that was not dreamed possible only a few short years yearsago ago So you think theres no such suchthing thing as Derby nerves One very solid trainer of a Derby candidate who wouldnt lift an eyebrow at an earth ¬ quake woke up screaming the other night that his barn was on fire Get the Derby horse out of there he hollered holleredSome Some 12 United States Senators have In ¬ formed president Bill Corum they will be beContinued Continued on Page ThirtyFour BETWEEN RACES RACESBy By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Three ThreeDerby Derby visitors and a special box has been assigned them Kentucky Senators Clem ¬ ents and Underwood will do the honors for the Blue Grass State Joe Stevens is displaying the souvenir julep glasses which go to the customers or for those who do not imbibe but wish the glasses are on sale minus julep on the track grounds This years motif is the Derby trophy and a descriptive history of the trophy The glass informs that the present type cup was introduced in 1924 and has remained the same ever since Prior to 1924 the Derby bauble changed from year to year according to the artistic fancy of the presi ¬ dent And speaking of souvenirs Bill Corum tells us that the solid silver julep cups also available as souvenirs are catch ¬ ing on after being introduced last year and while they are not expected to sell like the proverbial hotcakes demand is growing If you think a box is hard to get on Derby Day imagine the plight of folks wanting to enjoy the traditional Derby breakfast in the first floor clubhouse dining room The room accommodates about 1500 and there were more than 10000 applications a month ago agoBill Bill Corum tells us that the next im ¬ provement slated for Churchill Downs and which may be accomplished before next year if the expected easement on building regulations concerning amuse ¬ ment places comes about this July will be the erection of about 320 more boxes on the upper level of the old clubhouse an item which will enable Churchill Downs to take care of more people of consequence in the proper fashion Churchill feels that it is good public re ¬ lations for American racing in general if more of the nations leaders in politics business and finance saw the Derby The common man has not been forgotten of course and improvements also are in store for to coin a phrase the two dol ¬ lar bettor Last year of the 1294474 wagered on the Kentucky Derby about a third 420616 to be exact was haz arded before the tote windows opened through special booths which opened at 9 oclock This year there will be 47 booths open for preliminary wagering on the Derby only but they will be closed after the fifth race so that state audi ¬ tors may check and double check and account for every penny and every ticket well before the tote opens for the regular betting The early wagering goes onto the tote as the first reading when the big iron monster is unlocked for Derby action Incidentally cashiers are doing a good business in paying off on tickets from last year a lot of citizens apparently rushing fgr a train or plane after the Derby waiting almost 12 months before getting their money While Kentucky now takes the out money there is no time limit on cashing tickets which seems to us a fair way of doing it itA itThe A The Churchill Downs staff is almost as traditional as the track and Derby itself but the management is always bringing new blood in to the organization in an un ¬ obtrusive fashion One new blooder is Winn Williamson a grandson of Col Matt J Winn who is learning racing by assist ¬ ing in many departments and who on his own is master of a breeding farm near Louisville The Williamson stallions are Sir Damion sire of the West Coast great Galla Damion among other good ones and Ocean Wave Williamson also has some good broodmares including a full sister to Count Flame and a halfsister to Battle Morn Churchill Downs officials are more than pleased with the report from Pimlico that a post time there will be changed and a battery of TV sets installed so that Pimlico patrons or at least a good many of them can see the Derby and enjoy an afternoon of Maryland sport at the same time From this distance it sounds like a splendid idea
