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i Kentucky Derby Has Become World Famous Through 78-Year History Tremendous Appeal Makes It Nations No. 1 Sports Feature 110,000 Fans Bet ,565,90V On Big Race Alone Last Year And ,064,420 on Program By BYRON SCHOEMAN Staff Correspondent CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 1. — This old race-course, the home of the Kentucky Derby, tomorrow swings open its wide iron gates to become to American racing fans what Ascot is to the English, Longchamp to the French, Melbourne to the Australians. Its quaint, colonial charm and universal appeal to racing folk, in general, make Churchill Downs a picturesque American scene. Bill Corum. president of Churchill Downs, is the Kentucky Derby guiding genius today. But before Derby Bill it was the late Col. Matt J. Winn. And some 78 years ago, it was Col. Lewis M. Clark, who originated the race, and in the previous year, built the track on which the inaugural and every renewal since has been run. In the summer of 1874, after returning from a trip abroad, Colonel Clark carved out of the Churchill Farm the racecourse to be known as Churchill Downs. Oak and maple trees grew there in abundance, and today the seeker still can find in the centerfield the "lone sentinel" that was just a sapling when the field lined up for that inaugural running of the race which now, once yearly, grips the sustained interest of the sports-loving American public. Clark was president of the jockey club in 1875, Major J. M. Womack, treasurer, and William Murphy, secretary. There was unusual interest in the new jockey club and when Derby Day came on May 17 a throng of 10,000, an unusually large assemblage in those days, filled the grandstand and crowded the lawns at Churchill Downs. Honor to Own Derby Winner Although the race was worth only ,850 to Aristides, the winner, the leading turfmen in Kentucky sought the unique honor of owning the victor of the first Derby. Inevitably, the Kentucky Derby was not to become the richest, nor the greatest goal of breeders, but it, nevertheless, was destined to become the race in which all America joined with Kentucky in interest, and second only to Englands Epsom Derby in world eminence. The tremendous appeal of the Derby can best be described in the cold, black type in the record book. No wagering reports were kept until 1908 when 7,570 was bet on Derby Day, 8,300 on the Derby alone. That year, 15,000 to 20,000 attended, no actual figures on Derby Day attendance ever having been available. And the 1908 victor, Stone Street, picked up ,850 for his owner, C. E. Hamilton. Last year, record after record fell by the wayside. The estimated 110,000 fans that jammed historic Churchill Downs wagered an all-time high of ,064,420 on the nine-race card, bettering by a considerable amount the 1951 figure of ,675,542. Wagering on the Derby itself was a new high, ,565,901 going through the mutuel machines. The previous record was ,294,-474, set in 1951. Also in the 1952 Derby a new mark of 54,160 was wagered in the straight pool, and record amounts of 94,-222 in the place pool and 17,519 for show. Calumet Farms Hill Gail, the 11 to 10 favorite, won last years revival, and the Bull Lea colts triumph was worth 6,300 to his owner, Mrs. Gene Markey. Thats a far cry, indeed, from the ,850 "the little red horse," Aristides, earned in the inaugural Derby 77 years previous. Count Turfs Distinction However, the capital award earned by Hill Gail isnt the largest amount ever won in this blue ribbon classic. That amount would be the 8,050 that Count Turf gleaned in 1951. as the Count Fleet colt ► surprised most of the estimated crowd of more than 100,000. Step by step, the Derby has grown, in attendance, mutuel play and purses, in typical American trend. Its gigantic growth is reflected in a recent statement by Corum, who predicted that tomorrows throng would be the largest ever. Corum said: "With the demand for seats increasing with each passing year, it has reached the point of what amounts to a frenzy. The most wholesome aspect of this, it seems to me, is that the demand is from every section of the country. We are going to start our big improvements, which will include many more boxes eventually, immediately after the spring meeting, and, like the circus, the Derby never will grow smaller. Of course, since we must build between Derbies, the finished job is going to take several years. In the meantime, we will be a little bit better off for seats each season from now on." Kentucky Derby history can be divided into four periods. The first period extended from the 1875 inaugural to about the end of the century. Those were the years of the stage coach, and of racing when stamina played its part in the ranking of a thoroughbred. In 1896, the Derby distance was shortened to one and one-quarter miles from a mile and one-half. And from that year until 1913, when Donerail won, the classic was a secondary race in importance, being Continued on Page Twenty-Five -_ , — ,„, — , . — i MM,,,, _j. . ,4,"Ail ■■3T- .-.-..■ .. .-v. ■?.-. - ■:;■■- ?"■ ■ : -?:: wSw?w??? ■■ ■" :■:.::■ ; : Post Parade for 1952 Kentucky Derby. vB9kj£?*S$ 5? .iSsSails K MRS. GORDON GUIBERSON— Owner of Correspondent who is regarded next to Native Dancer in the advance calculations for todays classic attraction. v.- .■:-.-■■ :-.- -v.- :-x- ■: ::■■;■:. ■: . At the First Turn in 1952 Kentucky Derby. AND THE FINISH— Hill Gail the winner by two lengths over Sub Fleet. Kentucky Derbys Growth Over Years Sensational Tremendous Appeal Makes It No. 1 U.S. Sports Attraction Continued from Page Fifteen far below the standards set in the first 20 years of its existence. When Riley won in 1890 the purse was ,460. but the race was not to pay as much as ,000 again until Donerail earned ,475 in 1913. And in the doing, Donerail created a longshot record for the event, paying 84.90. As the initial 20 years attracted great 1 horses and colorful crowds, so did the 20 years between Donerail and Cavalcade in 1934. Starting with Old Rosebud in 1914, the race caught the fancy of America and soared in popularity. The one man who made the Derby big, the Mr. Kentucky Derby of them all — Colonel Winn — never looked back. As William Sidney Porter O. Henry would have put it: "Matt Winn never let any cigar stores come up and stand behind him. He didnt belong to that tribe of Indians." Winn spent considerable time studying the possibilities of television. The colonel in his minds eye envisioned millions of people far from the old Downs on Derby Day, seeing and hearing the running of Americas premier race. In 1950, telecasting of the Derby became a reality. And last years Derby was the first to be telecast alive. This Derby will be telecast and broadcast nationwide for the benefit of the American Red Cross. Millions will see and hear the race on television and radio. It was during the so-called third period of the Derby that the first radio broadcast of the race was made — in 1925, Flying Ebonys year. Quin Ryan was the announcer, broadcasting the Derby over WGN, the Chicago Tribune station. The broadcast reached Kentucky, most of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. In 1928, William Randolph Hearst took over the Derby broadcast. The late Damon Runyon arranged for Clem McCarthy to do the description of the race. So McCarthy and his "Rrrrrrrracing fans!" opening, which always brought your radios to vivid life suddenly, was the first to broadcast the Derby and any race nationally when he stepped up to the mike for the running of the 1928 Derby, won by Reigh Count. It also was during the Derbys third period that a winner earned 0,000 or more when Sir Barton took down 0,825 in 1919. In 1921, Behave Yourself earned 8,450 and two years later, Zev collected 3,600, marking the first time the winners purse was more than 0,000. Gallahadion hit the 60 grand bracket in 1940 with 0,150, while Assaults 1946 victory was worth 6,400, the previous tops being the 4,850 Hoop, Jr. earned the year before. First million dollar Derby Day came in 1920 when ,055,191 went through the wickets. The initial two million day followed in 1926 when ,096,613 was wagered. Twenty years later, the mutuel handle for the big day hit more than three million, ,608,208. On the Derby alone, 1917 marked the first year that more than 00,000 was wagered — 09,395. The initial 00,000 bet on the Derby itself was in 1919, 92,244. In 1924, the betting soared to 18,536, while the first million on the three-year-old classic was in 1946 when the 80,000 fans poured ,202,474 into the machines.
