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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunsta Some New Firsts Are Possible in Derby Whirlaways Time Record Hard One to Beat Arcaro Jones Seek to Better Own Marks Donerails 1913 Mutue PayOff Still Longest LongestCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 1 Although the 77 past runnings of the Kentucky Derby are rich in historical data there will be some firsts in the seventy eighth running and always the possibility that some former rec coras will DC oroKen mis win oe me iirst time that the Run for the Roses will be televised live and the first year in which the winning jockey will be rewarded with a replica of the 5000 gold cup that is the cherished possession of the winning owner It is interesting to contemplate some of the other possibilities Should Master Fiddle be triumphant he will be the first gray ever to visit the winners circle Racings increased popularity may result in the largest throng in Derby history converging oh Churchill Downs on Saturday afternoon Eddie Arcaro who rode Lawrin in 1938 Whirlaway 1941 Hoop Jr 1945 and Citation in 1948 could break his own rec ¬ ord with a victory on Hill Gail If Ben Jones is officially desig ¬ nated on the programs as the trainer of Hill Gail instead of son Jimmy a new trainers record will be created for he has already saddled Lawrin Whirlaway Pensive Citation and Pon ¬ der Derby Dick Thompson formerly held the trainers record with Behave Yourself Bubbling Over Burgoo King and Brokers Tip for the late Col E R Bradley Time records are hard to lower and as only three horses hi Derby history have run the one arid onequarter miles under 202 it is likely that Whirla ¬ ways mark of 201 in 1941 will still remain on the books In 1931 Twenty Grand was clocked in 201 and in 1950 Middle ground came close with 201 201In In the early years the Derby fields were often small only three going to the post in 1892 1901 and 1905 Twenty started last year but back in 1923 there were 21 and the record field went to the post in 1928 with Reigh Count the victor over 21 opponents Since the inaugural run ¬ ning in 1875 the Derby has never missed a renewal and there never has been a disqualification On February 15 the nominator pays 50 to enter a horse The only other payment is 1000 which must be paid before the field leaves the paddock for the starting point with owners and trainers having until 10 a m the day before the race to decide whether they will start a horse The biggest upset in Derby history came in 1878 when Day Star astonished the throng by a victory over Himyar who at 14 was the shortestpriced favorite ever to be beaten Alard Scheck the oddson favorite in 1901 finished last in a fivehorse field and the following year the oddson favorite Abe Frank finished last in a fourhorse field Donerail winner in 1913 still holds the mutuel record payoff of 18490 and he was ridden by Roscoe Goose now president of Knock Down the Favorite club Count Fleet 1943 and Citation 1948 paid 280 the short ¬ est parimutuel Derby price priceUntil Until 1895 the Derby was run at a mile and a half and the fastest time at that distance was recorded in 1889 when Spokane won in 234 The distance was reduced to a mile and a quarter in 1896 when Ben Brush was the winner in 207 Twenty Grand created a new record of 201 in 1931 and that remained on the books until 1941 when Whiraway won by eight lengths and was clocked in 201 also a new track record Seven geldings have won the Derby Vagrant Apollo Joe Cotton and since the distance was reduced to a mile and a quarter Old Rosebud 1914 Exterminator 1918 Paul Jones 1920 and Clyde Van Dusen 1929 Whirlaway won by eight lengths and so did Johnstown in 1939 and Assault in 1946 Many horses have led from start to finish and in late years they were Clyde Van Dusen 1929 and since then War Admiral Johnstown Count Fleet Hoop Jr and Jet Pilot In 1948 Coaltown led to the mile post and then gave way to his stablemate Citation who won by three and a half lengths with Coaltown three lengths in front of My Request RequestEvery Every thoroughbred in the world today traces to one of the three males Matchem Herod or Eclipse and de ¬ scendants of the latter have won 59 of the 77 Derby run ings to date with 11 credited to Herod and seven to Matchem Halma winner in 1895 was the first to sire a son who duplicated his feat AlanaDale winning in 1902 In 1936 Bold Venture was the winner and he sired Assault winner in 1946 and Middleground in 1950 A brilliant new episode in Derby lore was recorded in 1951 when Count Turf entered the winners circle for his daddy Count Fleet was the winner in 1943 and the latters sire Reigh Count was the victor in 1928 this being the first trio in male line descent to accomplish the feat From 1875 through 1951 63 of the Derby winners were foaled in Kentucky Tennessee has three Texas and New Jersey two each and Virginia Montana Mis ¬ souri Ohio California and Kansas one each The only imported winner was Omar Khayyam and it has been told thousands of times that Regret in 1915 was the only filly to win Only three sires have sent three sons to the winners circle Falsetto Virgil and Sir Gallahad in Englands Epsom Derby was won by the brothers Per ¬ simmon and Diamond Jubilee but no pair of brothers or halfbrothers ever won the Kentucky Derby In coat color the Derby has been won by 35 bays 27 chestnuts 11 browns and four blacks blacksOnly Only two jockeys Isaac Murphy and Jimmy Winkfield have ridden two winners in succession Conn McCreary will have his opportunity this year Murphy the Colored Archer held the record of riding three winners from 1891 but in 1930 Earl Sande tied that with a victory on Gallant Fox having previously ridden Zev and Flying Ebony The roughest Derby ever run was in 1933 when Don Meade on Brokers Tip and Herb Fisher on Head Play fought it out with their whips down the stretch Both were given a long stay on the ground without disqualification of either horse Only two owners had four Derby winners Col E R Bradley and the Calumet Farm of Warren Wright Citation was the only winner for Bull Lea one of the greatest of modern day stallions
