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. . kVx — ThistleDown • By Joe Hirsch Dr. Ensors Runners Have Medical Names • Duffy Brought Starting Gate to Greece Trainer Nix Former Steeplechase Rider THISTLEDOWN, North Randall, Ohio, June 6.— Medicine man: Dr. Wilmer C. Ensor has been a practicing physician in Baltimore for over 50 years. He estimates estimates that that he he has has delivered delivered . . estimates estimates that that he he has has delivered delivered over 5,000 babies in the course of his career. For the past 25 years or so, he has also trained horses campaigning in Maryland and through Ohio. Many of his home-breds have names originating in medical phraseology. One of his good two-year-olds stabled here, for instance, is called Ankylosis. Hes by Lochnivar from Olecranon. The Olecranon is part of the elbow elbow joint, joint, and and taking taking the the "Lock" "Lock" elbow elbow joint, joint, and and taking taking the the "Lock" "Lock" kVx — from Lochnivar, he came up with Locked Joint or Ankylosis. The dam incidentally is equally well named. Olecranon is actually what laymen call "the funny bone" and shes a daughter of Mr. Bones out of Exaltation. Another Ensor homebred, Qrthopedic, was by Mr. Bones from Off and On. Greece: Thats where Bob Duffy went with a starting gate the winter before last. Bob is assistant paddock judge and stall man at ThistleDown and also works for Fasig-Tipton at Saratoga during the summer sales. The Greeks made a request for a *gate and, instructor through the British Bloodstock Agency and Humphrey Finney sent Bob over. Hed had previous experience, having served as starter at Hipodromo de Las Americas in Mexico City oiie winter. Bob_ brought the gate to Athens, taught local men how to handle it and had a wonderful time touring Europe. He reports that the Athens track is one of the few on the continent, with a strip and that the racing is conducted as in this country, counter-clockwise. Special events are carried for Arabian horses but never with mixed, fields of thoroughbreds. Its something like the quarter-horse races at western tracks. They run two-days a week in Greece — Wednesday and Sunday. Duffy reports the gate was an immediate success with the public and that the Greeks have also installed the -photo finish. Next they hope to get the "tote" over there. The Duffys, who were married last year, make their home in Annapolis, Md. Mrs. Duffy, incidentally, trained a string of her own through Ohio several years ago. Texan Rode for Ambrose Clark t Steeplechaser: That used to be the young Texas trainer Clyde Nix, Jr., who has a public stable here. Nix rode on the flat for eight years, through the field for five, including a hitch with the Ambrose Clark stable in New York. He was an assistant trainer for Alan Jerkins several seasons back and Jerkins at one* time rode" for Nix, Sr. Young Nix got his license in 1953, took some horses to New England; Since then hes raced in Maryland and through the Midwest, returning to Texas each winter for some off-season hunting. He has stock here for Wilfred Charron, an associate of financier Cyrus Eaton; several for A. J. Mesler of New York and a-few head of his own. Private eye: Henry Beardsley, like the majority of the other men who police Americas race tracks, worked for J. Edgar Hoover. He, Garden State-Hialeahs John Madala and Tropical Park-Randall Parks Elmer Vick-ers served together in the Miami office of the F.B.I. When World War JE broke out, Beardsley was called to the colors, became an electronics technician for the Navy, working with radar. When Madala took over the policing at Hialeah, Beardsley went tc -.vork for him and still does during the winter meeti -. When Vickers came out to Randall Park in 1950, Beardsley went along. Now hes got his own policing outfit; it handles ThistleDown, Cranwood and Pimlico.Beardsleys favorite story involves a tout he spotted in the betting area one day. Waiting to identify his_companion so that he could throw them both out Beardsley was amused to see the~"turf infromant" come forward and try to influence his wagering choice. As soon as he was able to get the pair together, he brought them to his office. When asked why he picked on Beardsley to con, the tout replied, "You sure looked like a sucker to me." Obviously its helpful for a policeman to have that innocent look. Vitous Has 30 Years in Winners Circle Pictures: Thats what Jerry Vitous has been taking in winners circles at race tracks throughout the country for over 30 years. Jerry was born and raised in Cleveland, went to work for a photographer as a boy, then opened a studio of his own. He began to take a few shots at the old Maple Heights track in Cleveland in 1923 when track photography was a sometime thing, used only on special occasion. As ThistleDown was built in 1925, business began to pick up and when Bain-bridge opened in 1928, Jerry started to work the race tracks full time and hasnt stopped since. Hes taken snaps of Will Rogers at Arlington Downs in Texas; of Teddy Atkinson riding his first winner, Musical Jack, at Beulah Park; of Joe Sylvester riding his seventh winner in eight mounts at Ravenna Park in 1930, among others. He was the first track photographer at Keeneland and has taken the winners circle shots of the last 11 Kentucky Derbys at Churchill Downs. Ak-Sar-Ben Honors Flying Farmers AK-SAR-BEN, Omaha, Nebr., June 6.— Ak-Sar-Ben will pay a special tribute to the flying farmers and ranchers of Nebraska during the Tuesday racing program. The rural Nebraskans. who fly to their farming and ranching chores in privately owned* planes, will fly to Omaha Tuesday from all parts on the state. *
