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Johnny Adams Adams Veteran Rider Up On 13th Derby Mount Today TodayJOHNNY JOHNNY ADAMS saddle veteran believes that Hasty Road his thirteenth mount in the Kentucky Derby will be the charm so to speak and he re ¬ marks that for the first time in his long Derby activity he feels he has a real chance The best that Adams has been was second with Blue Swords in 1943 but that will long be remem ¬ bered as Count Fleets year and while he tried valiantly with Blue Swords he could never match strides with that winner Adams came around a recognized race track at old River ¬ side Park Kansas City in 1931 after a seasoning at the Oaklahoma bushes He was one of the few riders in history ever to refuse to accept the apprentice allow ¬ ance because he did not wish to enter into any contracts So he started as a journey ¬ man rider did all right and went from fromthere there to Longacres Seattle to become the leading rider of the meeting He was a leading rider from then on and for three years 1937 1942 and 1943 led the Ameri ¬ can riding roster in number of winners Adams seldom has ridden a Derby horse that figured a glance through the charts revealing most of his mounts being either long prices or grouped in the mutuel field His first Derby mount was in 1939 when he was fifth with Technician Then in order he was eleventh and last with Swain in 1941 twelfth with Sir War in 1952 sec ¬ ond with Blue Swords in 1943 eleventh with Alorter in 1944 ninth with Johns Joy in 1949 eighth with Pur Sang in 1951 tenth with Smoke Screen in 1953 and seventh with Social Outcast last year
