Derby Winner Swaps En Route West; No Tricks in Third Consecutive Tally: Blue Ruler, Jeans Joe on Same Train, Daily Racing Form, 1955-05-10

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Derby Derby Winner Winner Swaps Swaps En En Route Route West; West; No No Tricks Tricks in in Third Third Consecutive Consecutive Tally Tally Blue Ruler, Jeans Joe on Same Train Ellsworth Colt Is Eligible to Golden Gate Race Saturday; Nashua, SummerTan Go East By CHARLES HATTON CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 9.— Rex C. Ellsworths brilliant chestnut colt Swaps—so named because of swapping nomenclature with the registrar of The Jockey Club — departed Derbytown at 10:30 last night for California, on a special train conveying three pullmans of his rooters from the west coast. On the same train with Swaps, who came out of his most distinguishing engagement very ship shape, were Murcains Blue Ruler and Jeans Joe. At 9:30 a.m., yesterday Belairs stubborn colt Nashua left for his Aqueduct headquarters. Mr. Fitz has saddled three winners of the Kentucky Derby, and "Heady Eddie" Arcaro has ridden five, but never has either of them put down a more resolute nor more deserving favorite. When Nashua drew out some six lengths before Summer Tan, his perennial rival, in making a bid to deprive Swaps of the lead, everyone knew the difference between the "form" east and west. Summer Tan Returns to Belmont Summer Tan also departed on Sunday for Belmont Park, more tired and wiser. He tried desperately to move with Nashua in the Derby but simply was not up to it. Both this pair, along with Swaps, came out of the race, one remarkably free of interference, in first class condition. Swaps is said to be a candidate for the Golden State Breeders next Saturday, and if he is a starter any odds in such a race will be long. The Cain Hoy entry Of the Blue Grass winner, Racing Fool, and the Derby Trial winner, Flying Fury also are en route to New York. Racing Fool outran his more illustrious stable companion in the Derby to finish fourth, some eight lengths behind the winner. The son of Jet Pilot is a useful runner but neither he nor his running mate gives much assurance of being actually top drawer. None of Swaps beaten opponents could proffer any excuse of moment for his race Saturday. Every one of the starters had "dead aim" at one time or another and could do nothing about it. Rex Ellsworths "golden colt from the Golden West" was simply too much for them. He ran directly back to his near record performance in a Continued on Page Seven ~~7V » Swaps Heads West With Derby Crown Blue Ruler, Jeans Joe on Same Train; Ellsworth Colt Eligible to Saturday Stake Continued from Page One six furlongs event last Saturday at the Downs. So far as concerns the jockeyship, we think that Eddie Arcaros handling of Nashua waa superb, and that Willie Shoemaker had an armchair ride. Arcaro never has taken Swaps lightly and going to the end of the backstretch realized the invader from the West Coast might have "breezed on the lead" too long. He was the only one who became opportunistic and went after the leader to pump him out if possible. As it turned out, this was a thankless task. Twenty-four hours before the Derby, Arcaro had said, "If he Swaps gets loose, he could win it all." Ironically he and Shoemaker both were offered the mount on the beautifully modeled son of Khaled in the Santa Anita Derby, but at the time the Murcain tandem of Blue Ruler and Jeans Joe appeared on paper to be the stouter prospects. What the Derby result comes to is the simple fact that again this year there will be no Triple Crown winner. Swaps could be made a supplemental eligible for the Preakness, but clearly will not. And he is not in the Belmont. Mental Strain on- Handicappers The Derby last week end presented a fairly complex mental exercise to handicappers and the wagering on the race itself scared to ,677,178, which is a new record for the stake. The handle for the day was a whopping ,280,287. This is not a record however, falling a bit short of the ,306,065 handled on the same number of pools on Derby Day in 1953. Mickey Tenney, incidentally, deserves credit for an assist of crucial importance in Swaps success. Tenney plates his trainee himself and explained that his charge has a tender right front hoof. "Two days before the Derby, I wanted to give him his last work but the foot hurt him and we only let him gallop. I pulled the shoe off and reset the piece of leather — its a half sole for a ladys shoe — under the new plate. I hit it just right and it stopped hu ting. We worked him the next day. I guess I changed his shoes five or six times after we came to Kentucky," Tenney commented. Of Swaps ownership, Ellsworth explained "I dont think it matters at all. Tenney and I have been steady companions and partners since we were eight years old. He knows what I have is his. So do my brothers." Indications are that Swaps will point next for the Hollywood Gold Cup, or at least that this event will be his main objective. "Derby Bill" Corum expressed his complete satisfaction with the public response to the occasion, and also with the efficiency of the parking attendants and gate crew. "I suppose that shower cost us something," he observed, "maybe 00,000 in hande, but on the whole I thought it all went down very well and I couldnt be more pleased." MENOLENE — Worked five furlongs in :59% over the Belmont main track yesterday morning.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1955051001/drf1955051001_1_6
Local Identifier: drf1955051001_1_6
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800