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, Being Size Conscious Brought Taniguchi Into Riding Ranks Crack Nisei Jockey Spent Two Years With Ben Bard Players Studying Theatre By TOM OREILLY AQUEDUCT,. L. I., N. Y., June 28. Jockeys Guild members may not realize it but when they stage their annual singsong and guffaw-fest at the Waldorf-Astoria in September there will be a bona fide professional actor in their ranks. This should be no other than that animated, albeit quiet, little man, George Taniguchi, the 25-year-dld J a p a n e s e-A merican brought east by Mis. Elizabeth Arden Graham to ride her Maine Chance Faim thoroughbreds. George actually spent two years with the Ben Bard players in Hollywood studying for the theatre and did a bit part in MGMs "Go For Broke," the popular movie about the famous 442nd Nisei Battalion who had a 100 per cent Purple Heart record in Italy. In fact it was while tracking down a producer, who might have given him a small part, that George first visited Santa Anita. There, for the first time, he saw fellows his own size five feet making big money riding horses. Moreover, he discovered it was an honorable profession. After all Queen Elizabeth- knighted Sir Gordon Richards and our own Internal Revenue Department gave Arcaro, Atkinson and Co., similar special consideration. "I always was size-conscious," says George, adding with a quick smile, "and trying to find parts in the theatre didnt help my complex any. I forgot about the producer and concentrated on the riders." , : of course card tables for the devotees of Hoyle. It was in this atmosphere that I found George Taniguchi lounging on a settee, alone and half asleep. I touched his boot and he politely jumped up to shake hands with his ready smile. His eyes are quick, bright and large. Like most riders, he is a neat, little man with a firm grip. Also like the rest of the bunch he wore boots and riding pants but his silks were hanging up. George was born in El Centro, in the Imperial Valley, down in lower California. His father, who brought his mother over here from Hiroshima, worked for the Fred Bright Company, one of the largest cantaloupe growers in the West. George attended El Centro grammar school arid then had two years of high school in Poston, Ariz., when the family three sisters, two brothers were "re-located" with all other California Japanese during World War JI. From there, the family moved to Los Angeles, their present home. Eye for Quick Buck In L. A. little George got a job in a produce market on North Bradway in the Lincoln Heights section. Here he became stagestruck, joined the Ben Bard Players at night, played bit parts in movies and eventually found the race track. When George gave up theatricals to seek a riding career, he looked up his friend Jimmy Monji. Jimmy Monji was a handy fellow to know. He ran a sort of semi-detached r farm, quarterhorse stable, saddle horse establishment and a joint for breaking yearlings, up in Bakersfield, Calif., about ! GEORGE TANIGUCHI- Some two months later, after repeated visits to the track in which he watched the riders, rather than the horses, George decided to leave the "Mr. Moto" parts to Peter Lorre and work under a sun that didnt have so many spots. It sounds easy but when you hear the rest of his story youll realize it wasnt. I found George in the Jocks Room at Aqueduct. As an old-time underwear reporter, I earned my varsity B.V.D. inhaling arnica, liniment and sweat horses sweat, men perspire and ladies glow in undressing rooms from Meadow Brooks exclusive polo club to Stillmans Eighth Avenue Pespira-tion Parlor and none is more glamorous than the Jocks Room at Aqueduct or, for that matter, at any American track where the meetings last for some time. Hanging from the ceiling of this room, in neat rows, are all the gay racing silks worn by riders of the great American stables, neatly laundered and pressed, as they await their next outing. Beneath them are scattered wicker chairs and other porch furniture so arranged that the riders can leisurely watch the race through a broad window overlooking the clubhouse turn. Between races there is a television set with the inevitable ball game on its screen and 100 miles away. George told Jimmy" his problem. Jimmy is no chump. He immediately sold George an old saddle horse for 5. George laughs now and says, "I wuz robbed." Jim did teach George one, thing, however. He would not let George ride the horse with a saddle. Jimmy advised George to learn balance. At least that is Georges story. Perhaps he couldnt afford a saddle, but skip it. Anyway, for eight months George rode his horse without a saddle. At every opportunity he skipped away from the produce market to Bakersfield. "I started out riding two days a week," says George, smiling, "but it wasnt long before I was working at the market only two days a week. Jimmy would let me stay at his place for nothing if I helped break yearlings, cleaned out the stable and worked around the farm." After eight months he felt qualified to work on a bigger place, sold his old horse, at a loss, natch, and headed south. Later he bought back the old horse and turned him out to pasture . Cool as a cucumber, he walked up to Mr. Flavius Lomax, manager of the great Northridge Farms, in the San Fernando Continued on Page Forty-Nin - Taniguchis Size Led to Rider Ranks j Crack Nisei Jockey Spent Two Years With Ben Bard Players Studying Theatre 0 0 Continued from Page Three 3 Valley and asked for a job. For two days , Mr. Lomax had him walking horses. Then e he was told to gallop one. George had never been inan exerciser saddle before. It was a luxury. He stayed at Northridge Farms seven months. 3 On rare occasions, when things werent 3 too busy there are 65 broodmares at 3 Northridge Farms he would slip over. to Hollywood Park. "I think its the prettiest r racetrack in the world," he says. Conse- quently, when Mr. Rynard, owner of Northridge, wanted him to sign a five-year contract to break yearlings, he wouldnt do it. . The old man got mad and fired him. He tried free-lancing as a Hollywood Park exercise boy. It was tough. Nobody 3 knew him. He picked up one or two riding jobs. One morning, while raking down a walking ring, a man on a stable pony approached, him and said, "Saw you workin a horse this mornin. son. Howd you like to work for me? Names Kidd. Lawrence , W. Kidd." The boy was interested but f cautious. Said hed tell him, yes or no, next day. Then he made a few inquiries. He 1 found out plenty. i Coasts Bell Daly Lawrence W. Kidd is the "Father Bill Daily of the West Coast. Years ago "Father j Bill," who had a wooden leg and painted , his house green every St. Patricks Day, , trained Snapper Garrison, Winnie OCon-npr, Danny Maher and an entire school of , Americas greatest jockeys. Mr. Kidd, who races a string of around 20 horses, started, among others Basil James, Glenn Lasswell, Pete Moreno, Allan Gray and Walter Litzenberg. 1 George says with a broad smile, "Boy! When I found that out, I let go a loud yell and howled Thats for me. I could hardly wait until the next day to sign a four-year contract. I was afraid he might change his mind overnight." That was in July of 1953. The rest is racing history. On March 9, 1954, he rode his first race, finishing third at Bay Meadows on an old gelding named Radio Message. Two days later he brought in his first winner, Sheer Speed. His record shows that in 1954 he rode 230 winners. At the last Bay Meadows meeting, he had 33 winners, finishing behind Willie Harmatz arid Johnny Longden. Before losing his apprentices "bug," in March of this year, he won the 5,000 Childrens Hospital Handicap on an 89-to-l shot named Kingly, again at Bay Meadows. It was also in March that he received the biggest surprise of his life when his contract was sold to Mrs. Graham. Sold for 5,000 This was no ordinary sale. Mrs. Graham liked his riding but he didnt want to leave Mr. Kidd. The contract still had two years . to go. Mr. Kidd promised to discourage Mrs. Graham. Next time her agents called he said she would accept," said George. But the man on the phone said they could have the boy for 5,000. "We never dreamed she would accept," said George. But the man on the phone said "Done." When, Mr. Kidd tried to take back, they said "Oh no. You made the proposition. You gave your word and the deal is closed." "Sa" says .George, "thats how it was. I was sold just like a ball player. And here I am." How does he like the East?" "Its just like starting all over again," says George. His agent, Jay Errin, came East with him but they had bad luck on his second day here. A horse he was exercising bolted and when a man on a stable pony tried to stop him, the animal crossed its legs and fell. George got up with a broken collar-bone. That was in April. Errin returned to California. Ernie Kothe is his agent now. v Clippings No Help in Homestretch George started riding races for the first time in the East earlier this week. Its been a strange beginning. "I cant ride here on my California laurels," he says seriously, realizing that newspaper clippings are no help in the homestretch. "When I was out West I thought the East was small time. Now I take a look at stakes having their 59th or 68th renewals, see great establishments like Belair Stud and realize that tradition and all it means is a bit more than people think. You cant help but feel it. I dont think the tracks-here are as pretty as the ones out West and some, like Aqueduct and Belmont, vary in size, but the competition is certainly terrific." Single, without any matrimonial ideas, George lives in a small apartment in Bell-rose, L. I. He takes an occasional 3wim at a nearby pool but has no time for movies now. Hes concentrating on making good. Up and at the track at five and in bed by 10 with maybe a little television toward the end. Thats his routine. Horse players will watch him closely. Lets hope the East-X erners dont misinterpret that hallowed motto of the 442nd "Go for broke!"
