view raw text
WILLIE SHOEMAKER Trio Plans Strategy for Correlation Lytle Threewitt and Shoemaker All Have One Object ve veWin Win the Derby CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky April 30 Jockey Willie Shoemaker the toast of the west coast takes a new tack Saturday when he accepts the mount on the California owned Correlation Shoe ¬ maker who rode in New York before com ¬ ing here has served notice in effect that he is abandoning in principle the daily grind of overnight races in California plus whatever stakes are run there during the various meetings in favor of the big ones In other words hes entering a field which for the past several years has seen Eddie Arcaro dominent dominentThis This is not a story about statistics Most every race fan is aware of the marvelous riding record Shoemaker has racked up almost from the very start of his riding career He gained national recognition in 1950 when he tied with Joe Culmone for the riding championship of America in point of winners each boy getting 388 And last year Shoemaker broke all records for winners in a single calendar twelve month a whopping total of 485 He has been the leading rider at so many Cali ¬ fornia meetings season in and season out that he has almost come to be taken for granted grantedLast Last winter Shoemaker through his agent Harry Silbert revealed that in the future he would be available for some of the big stakes even if it meant leaving California from time to time He has no intention of leaving the west coast but he is quite willing to make excursions to the east or middle west for periods of from one to three weeks providing he has the right opportunity opportunityShoemaker Shoemaker broke the ice in this fashion when he flew from Bay Meadows to Florida to ride at Gulfstream Park then flew back to California he rode for a few days then took himself of all mounts to freshen up and give his knee injured slightly in Florida a chance to heal com ¬ pletely About 10 days later he flew to New York to guide Correlation in his pre Derby engagements there thereHarry Harry Silbert explains that in getting away from California now and then Shoe ¬ maker is doing himself a favor without incurring the ill feeling of many owners and trainers there people to whom he owes a debt of gratitude They were the ones to give him a chance when he was on his upward climb and as long as he is on the grounds and riding he feels that he cannot turn down any mount There ¬ fore he rides eight and sometimes nine races a day week in and week out It is too much muchHis His Third Derby DerbySaturdays Saturdays Derby will be the third for Shoemaker Last year he finished a splen ¬ did third on Saxon Stables Invigorator and most observers conceded that his fine riding moved the horse up several pounds Invigorator could not quite cope with the likes of Dark Star and Native Dancer His first Derby was in 1952 Hill Gails year which saw him bring J J Amiels Count Flame from 14th to finish fifth fifthThe The new Shoemaker whose future car ¬ eer as a big money rider is epitomized by this 80th running of the Derby is no longer termed Silent Shoe either He has become a polished young man who will carry on an intelligent and often Sparkling conversation albeit terse and to the point He still does not waste words But evenj if he is no longer as silent as he used to be he is still humble I was a shy kid wasnt sure of myself and figured that if I said nothing I wouldnt make any mistakes he said
