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Derby Has Eluded Many Of Turfs Great Riders Late George Woolf Tried Eight Times; Best Was Two Seconds CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 6.— Derby records quite correctly emphasize the positive, and it is no trouble at all to look through the charts and discover .that Eddie Arcaro is the greatest Derby rider of all with five winners, that Isaac Murphy and Earl Sande each had threej although most riders consider themselves lucky to win one in a lifetime. But a further check reveals that the Derby also has been elusive for some of the greatest of American riders. The ancient mile oval has even beennicknamed "heartbreak highway" by some who have given their bes,t to win it, and found that even the best was not quite enough. Perhaps the classic example of the great rider who never was able to win it was the late George Woolf, who "had eight Derby mounts. The best he could do was two seconds, with Staretor in 1941, when he had the misfortune to hook a horse like Whirlaway, and Broadcloth in 1944. It was ironic that he should have been last 20th in- 1937 with Billionaire, who carried the silks of Col. E. R. Bradley, undisputed kingpin Derby Owner until only recent times with four winners, a mark which was finally broken by Calumet Farm, which now has provided five winners, a record.
