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I Have Mounts in 81st Derby - I.JOHNNY ADAMS, with Nabesna, is Bone of the real "old old-time" Derby riders, 1 ■for this will be his tenth Derby. He has ] twice finished second in the big one, being on Blue Swords in 1943, a horse who had the misfortune in his year to encounter one like Count Fleet, and last year, was second with Hasty Road. Perhaps in all his Derby efforts, his one on Hasty Road was the best, for while his ride was flawless, he just couldnt beat Determine that day. And perhaps the unluckiest incident in his Derby career came in 1953, when he rode Social Outcast, a stablemate of Native Dancer. He stood to split the winners fee with Guerin on Native Dancer, but, alas, that was Native Dancers one unlucky day. Adams has been riding first string for Hasty House for the last few years, and while he wont be on a favorite today, luck might just strike. If it doesnt, chances are Adams still has a lot of Derbys to go, for at 40, he says he feels as good as he ever did, and may have as many as 10 more ! riding years in his system. A native of Iola, Kansas, Adams was one of the few successful riders we have ever heard of who made sgood without benefit of the apprentice allowance. He was a journeyman rider right from the start, by choice, not wishing to sign a contract, a necessity for an apprentice. CONN McCREARY, chosen by Cain Hoy Stable to ride Flying Fury as a stablemate of Racing Fool, has one of the best Derby records of any rider engaged, with the exception, of course, of Eddie A r c a r o. Mccreary has ridden in eight Derbys to date, and has won two of them, scoring with Pensive in 1944 and ; again with Count Turf in 1951. On two other occasions, he was third, with Slide Rule in 1943 and with Blue Man in 1952. Last year, he failed to get into contention with Sea O Erin, finishing fifteenth. The story of how McCreary became a top rider is well known but nevertheless is still worthy of mention again at this time. Born in St. Louis 34 years ago, he hitchhiked to Kentucky in 1940 seeking a career as a jockey. He happened to be given a ride by Steve Judge, then trainer for Wood-vale Farm, and when McCreary explained the reason for his trip, Judge gave him a chance. In fact, the following year, McCreary was astride Woodvale Farms Our Boots in the Derby, a race in which he ! finished eighth. Back in 1950. he "hung up his tack," because , he seemed to be lacking his old | touch, but, on impulse, decided to give ; riding one more try, and returned to his winning ways in February, 1951. His Kentucky *Derby triumph with Count Turf was his first major score on his comback trail. " CHRIS ROGERS, pilot of Blue Lem, rode his first winner back in 1941, but he never before has had an opportunity to pilot a starter in the Kentucky Derby. His s first winner v/as Bon Marche at Fort Erie, , Canada. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, , Rogers has a son, aged nine, and a daughter, • aged five. He believes the best horse : he has ever ridden was Royal Governor. . Rogers had ridden a winner of the Widener • Handicap, Royal Governor in 1950, but while a familiar riding figure on the East ; Coast, he seldom has ventured into Kentucky " territory. It will be remembered I that in 1953, he rode five winners in a row r at Gulfstream Park to make the headlines. . He is deemed an able, competent saddle-smith. • 1 ] WILLIE HARMATZ, ft well liked and capable California rider, gets the biggest break in his career in this 81st Derby by getting a chance* to pilot the California colt, W. L. Ranchs Honeys Alibi. Harmatz, a native of El Monte, a suburb of Los Angeles, was always athletically inclined, and, in his high school days, was a member of the schools gym team, and specialized in acrobatics and parallel bar performances. . With a group of other students, they had i a "high man" balancing act, and Harmatz : was the top man of the human pyramid. Harmatz went to work as a truck driver, i but because of his small size, and great strength, decided. to try his luck as a rider. He did, and made good, riding his first : winner at Caliente,. Mexico, on March 1, 1953. He kept on riding winners steadily : after losing his "bug" and his record on ; major California tracks, while not sensa- ; tional is good. He saves his money and, in his spare time, studies real estate management, and eventually intends to become a broker-advisor in Southern California. STEVE BROOKS, rider of Murcain Stables Jeans Joe, is no Derby stranger, having ridden in no less than six previous T erbys, winning with Calumet Farms Ponder in 1949, was second with Sub Fleet in 1952, and, on his four other "Run for the Roses" efforts, was unplaced. While rated a veteran rider and a top one, Brooks is but 34 years old, and is a native of McCook, Nebraska. He was taught to ride by an uncle, Ed Orrin, ; ! , | ; " s , , • : . • ; I r . • who brought the youhgser up on theT smaller tracks of the West. His first winner was Coventry Cup, at Shreveport, La., on Nov. 17, 1938. Brooks has been "big time" for most of his career, and, other than his Derby win with Ponder, one of his best days was at ChurchiUon May 15, 1948, when he rode six winners in one afternoon. Brooks flew west to ride Blue Ruler -for Murcain in the 0,000 Starlejb Stakes at Hollywood Park last summer at the request of trainer William B. Finne-gan, a request made when Willie Shoemaker, scheduled to have ridden Blue Ruler, drew a short suspension for rough riding. HENRY MORENO, on Racing Fool, has ridden in but one previous Derby, and he made that outing, with Dark Star, a memorable win. For Moreno rode the Cain Hoy colt boldly in a wire-to-wire win, stalling off the last minute bid of Native Dancer by a good head. Moreno had come to. Kentucky from California only three weeks before the Derby after riding first string for Calumet Farms in the West, and was worrying about "getting started" right in the East. Dark Star settled that prob-/ lem for him rather nicely. Prior to the Derby, his most important stake win was the 00,000 Hollywood Gold Cup with Two Lea. A native of Chicago, Moreno drifted to the race course through chance, rode his first race at the Pleasanton track in California. An oddity in his career is that after he had made good as a jockey, he induced his older brother, Pete, to become a jockey, too, and Moreno was a full fledged pilot when his senior had the ap- prentice allowance. Peter is currently re-; cuperating in the West from a spill. LOIS C. COOK, rider of Trim Destiny, is one of the Midwests best known and more capable riders. A native of Kona, Ky., he is the brother of another Derby rider today, W. M. Cook. L. C. Cook, like his brother, is a graduate of the Harry Trotsek jockey school in Detroit. Cook, the story goes, be-t gan life riding a mule, hauling carts out of a coal mine, but his small stature per-- suaded him that riding thoroughbreds might be a better way of life, so he took his chances at the racetrack, and it turned out a wise venture. Last year, he rode 160 winners to be up among the nations leaders.
