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REFLECTIONS , * 1 — By Nelson Dunstan In Sport, Records Are Made to Be Broken How Long Will Arcaros Derby Mark Stand? Longden, Richards to Create New Records Richards Victories May Never Be Equaled • NEW YORK, N. Y., May 14. In sport, there is no truer expression than, "Records are made to be broken." When Isaac Murphy became the first jockey to win three runnings of the Kentucky Derby, it was said that no rider would ever tie the mark of the great colored rider. But, in 1930 EaTl Sande completed his Derby trio with Gallant Fox. It took 40 years before Murphys feat was equaled, but here 22 years later, we find Eddie Arcaro establishing an all-time record by winning with Hill Gail for his fifth victory in the Louisville classic. Judging by the past, it is idle to say that Arcaros five victories will never be equaled or beaten, but it is safe to say- that many years will pass before liis feat is duplicated. Two veteran jockeys who are also likely to establish longstanding records this year are Johnny Longden and Gordon Richards. Possibly before these lines reach your eyes, it will be announced that Longden has passed the 4,000 mark in victories, and that Richards will have attained his 4,500th victory and is now on the last lap to be the first ever to ride 5,000 winners on the turf, in any country. Longden and Richards are the only two who, today, have passed the 4,000 mark, both having topped the world record of 3,260 winning mounts previously created by Sam Heapy. Longden and Richards are considered the two wealthiest jockeys in the world today. During the writers lifetime, j he has seen Jim Thorpe, Christy Mathewson, Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden and Jack Dempsey and has regarded them as the greatest of all in their particular sports. But, if we were asked, who is the worlds greatest athlete?, we would not hesitate to name Gordon Richards. For some reason or other, jockeys have not been classified as athletes, but they certainly belong in that category. They must keep in perfect physical condition from one end of the year to the other. No great athlete ever faced the setback that befell Richards in 1926. On the first two days of the Lincoln meeting, he rode five winners and those were to be his only winners for the entire season. A chill, following attempts to reduce weight, turned into pneumonia and, to the despair of his family and friends, it developed into tuberculosis. Propped up in a bed in Cromer, Richards was told gently by his doctors that while he would recover from that dreaded disease, he would never be able to ride again. That was 26 years ago, and he has been the champion jockey of England for the past 23 years. In all the history of sport, there has been no greater comeback than that of this boy, who refused to allow a serious illness to prevent his return to the saddle. . Richards was born at Oaken Gates, Shropshire, on May 5, 1904, and now, at 48, he is regarded as at the peak of his career. He was apprenticed to Martin Hartigan in 1919 and rode his first mount in 1928. In the years that followed he matched his skill with a group of the best English jockeys of all time and while he was no sensation in the beginning, he became one of the most talked-about riders in all Europe. As he grew to manhood, Gordons increasing weight caused him considerable concern. He was smoking 30 to 40 cigarettes a day and as he often was winded after a race, he cut them out overnight. His style of riding was very similar to that of Steve Donoghue, and often when they rode in similar colors the throng would confuse them during a race. Richards was actually a protege of Donoghue, who was the riding idol of England. When Steve came over here to ride Papyrus in the match race with Zev, Richards was well on his way to becoming the champion. By 1926, he was recognized as one of the foremost riders in all Europe. With his earnings of 5,000 a year, he had a fine car, money in the bank, and a brilliant future. It was then that he was injured and lay on a hospital cot for the entire 1926 season. In 1940, the English racing fans who had made Fred Archer and later, Donoghue, Harry Wragg and others their idols, adopted Richards as not only the greatest jockey of all time, but the most popular. While, for pure artistry, Charlie Smirke was his acknowledged superior, and the late "Brownie" Carslake could outride him in a furious finish, and Joe Childs was more successful in longer races, it was Richards who was still winning with the most mounts year after year. The art of jockeyship is difficult and many sided, but Richards was "hot copy" and the English racing papers and magazines often used the theme, "Why has Gordon Richards achieved outstanding success in the saddle?" They would admit he had a superior in one department or another, but, as an "all-arounder," he was in a class by himself. His balance and rhythm were little short of remarkable and it has often been "said that many people went to the races just to see him ride. He passed Heapys world record of 3,260 mounts at Worcester "on May"19, 1947, a year in which he scored with 269 horses. Year after year, he added to that total. It is almost certain he will pass the 4,500 mark this season. Back in 1949, Longden, who was English-born, went back there to ride as an unofficial American ambassador to the British turf. During his visit, Richards and he became fast friends and the English press often featured pictures of the two in their silks, walking in Leicester Square or in Richards home. The lives of these two boys are of the same pattern for they made their work as a jockey a business and, in recent years, they have both earned over 00,000 annually. Both are married and models of deportment on and off the race course. Although at an age when most jockeys have laid their tack away, both are shooting for records that may never be equaled in their respective countries. The one boy who now appears to have a chance of some day tying the two veterans is Eddie Arcaro, who has already written turf history this season. When he came on the race track in the fall of 1929, the older pair were firmly established. How close the Italian lad will come to them in number of winners depends on how long he continues to ride. From 1932 through 1950, Arcaro had ridden 2,707 winners and he is now above the 3,000 mark. Arcaro was born in February, 1916, so he is now 36 years old and though he, too, takes the best of care of himself, he has a long way to go to catch Longden and Richards.
