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with with the the Horse Horse of of * i ;h last last summer summer and and ► I I Suffolk Downs Notebook By FRED GAL1ANI ■ Canine of Year at Suffolk Oval Helps Save Lives of Two Girls LoBraico New Hampshire Booster SUFFOLK DOWNS, East Boston, Mass., May 14. — It is highly unlikely that New England England will will come come up up with with the the Horse Horse of of England England will will come come up up the Year, but there is a good chance that the "Dog of the Year" is in this sector. The canine in question is a three-year-old, black, part Labrador retriever, named Sam, owned by J. A. Robertson, trainer of the Bar-Sue Stable. Sam is credited with towing his master out and back to save the lives of two girls from drowning drowning in in Miami Miami Bea Beach drowning drowning in in Miami Miami Bea Beach ;h last last summer summer and and is up for dog of the year award presented by the American Humane Society. As "Virginia" hes from Richmond, Suh, Robertson tells the story: "Last July I stayed in Florida getting over a case of four broken ribs. Our house is on Harding Avenue near 85th Street and the back yard is only two blocks from the ocean. This afternoon I had Sam out in the yard when I heard cries for help. At first I didnt pay much attention, thinking that it was some kids at play, but they kept it up so I ran over to the beach. There was a very high surf running and two girls were out in the water, screaming and waving their hands, and heres a funny thing. It must have been a freak wind, because there were about 100 people on the beach and they couldnt hear the yells, nor did I there, but two blocks away I could. I only had on a pair of shorts and sneakers, so I kicked off my shoes and dashed into the water, Sam tagging right along. "The waves were batting me around and I wasnt making any headway. I grabbed Sam by the neck and, swimming with the other hand, he towed me out to the girls. The waves didnt bother him. Hed just duck under them dragging me along. I got a hold on one girl and draped her over my back and the other one held on to her hand. The water wasnt deep, but between the waves and the strong undertow it was tough going. Their weight also kept knocking me down to the bottom; I thought I had a broken back. But with Sam leading the way he managed to stagger in and I promptly collapsed on the beach — knocked out. One of the girls was so bad they had to send her to the hospital* for treatment before she came around, but the other one i was all right. It was her parents that sent i Sam this harness." Sam, a powerful, frisky, black streak of lightning, now sports a gaudily decorated harness, on which is a tag enscribed "To Sam who rescued our Patricia, Miami Beach, July 17, 1952. Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Finan, Cincinnati, Ohio." Sam has been a race tracker all his life. He was born at the Atlantic City course and was given to "Virginia" by Tom McGrath, Continued on Page Thirty-Nine SffolkDownsNotebook By FRED GALIANl Continued from Page Fbre the superintendent there. That makes P Sai-i a Jersey-bred. tl VI Native Boston jockey Jimmy Brennan a had a good day for himself yesterday, win- p ning with Montenegrin and Belluno and p finishing fourth on Eabani for C. T. Chen- s ery. The first named horse set a new C course record over the grass. Brennan has ii been with Casey for three years and is the s first string rider for the Chenery unit here, h Casey has a maiden jockey in Floyd Green, A for whom he envisions a good future. Wil- ii lie Robinson handles the engagements for d both of the boys . . . Jack Brennan, of the t: TRPB, spent the afternoon at the races P today . . My New Hampshire agent reported f that Lutza Smith gave a mothers day party at the Joseph Memorial Hospital last Sunday, one of the many such affairs she stages throughout the year. . Dave Hicks, of East Providence, R. I., foreman for trainer George Handy, will take a division of the string to Scarborough Downs in Maine when that sessions opens in July. Will the guy who sends gullible ones to the press box to ask for the key to the eighth pole cut it out? . It disturbs the card players . . . Trainer George Curies sold Cherry Caper to Jimmy Larkin, of New York . . . There are about 250 horses at Rockingham who van over to race at Suffolk and whenever one of them wins, Dominic LoBraico, stall superintendent at The Rock who is a frequent visitor, lets the fact be widely known. Claims s its the New Hampshire air that makes c them run so well . . . Jimmy Durante 1 makes his first appearance at a Boston s night club starting tomorrow night and c since the Arcaro of the air waves is not 1 a stranger to the horses, he might also A pop up for a first visit to Suffolk Downs . . Phil Reimer, the clothier and haber- l dasher around the Downs, discovered a i new way to fix clocks. His wrist watch t wasnt working lately and yesterday he inadvertently ran over it with his car. 1 Since then, despite its broken crystal and i battered case its keeping perfect time. ] Winding Way Farms Sagittarius is on the grounds awaiting Saturdays 16th run- | ning of the Governors Handicap and train- ] er W. G. Williams will arrive Saturday 1 morning to saddle the sprinter . Florence I Dellarias Harpes has been shipped in from i Jamaica for a couple of stakes and will be handled by Don McCoy . . . Dick McLaughlin . i has been engaged to handle H. A. Kimballs Algasir in the Governors Handicap • . . .Trainer Johnny Leyland has purchased 1 the contract of apprentice Richard La-Monte. The youngster has been galloping horses for two years for R. W. Collins and ; will be seen in action shortly . . Thomas ; McGovern, a bug boy from Roxbury, rode his first mount at the Downs on Ber Mar Boy in the first race . . . Owner G. Gordon i Paton, of the Copaut Stable, who hails i from Lambertville, N. J... is a visitor for the ! next few days.
