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Derby Chart Tells All That Happens Official Record Of Downs Classic ClassicVeteran Veteran Don Fair to Call Race Again Has Charted All Renewals Since 1939 CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 4 Millions of persons will see the Kentucky Derby oh their television screens other millions will hear the running via radio and upwards of 100000 will view the race in person here at historic Churchill Downs But Saturday night most of these millions will turn to their official form chart of the race a chart compiled by DAILY RACING FORM for the absolute gospel as to what just did happen the beaten distances of all horses where they were at any given call point in the run ¬ ning and a concise accurate analysis of the race in the footnotes The highly important and vital chore of compiling this chart is in the capable and experienced hands and eyes of Don Fair veteran caller for DAILY RACING FORM who has had a lifetime of experience on the turf first with the old Omaha Bee for the last 20 years with this publi ¬ cation He has attended every Derby since 1924 and has called every Derby chart since Johnstowns year 1939 1939Fair Fair makes every call in a staccato voice to his call taker Norman Hall and after the race the shorthand symbols horse and distance plus notations of trouble how the horses were going easily driving under the whip etc arc tran ¬ scribed into the official chart which ap ¬ pears in DAILY RACING FORM and other newspapers from coast to coast and border to border Minutes after the race a mime ¬ ographed copy of the chart is given to newsmen in the press box for their guid ¬ ance in writing their accounts of the race raceHorsemen Horsemen breeders officials and the public quite rightly deem the chart offi ¬ cial and rely upon it as an everready reliable history of the Derby DerbyLists Lists Three Outstanding Derbys DerbysFair Fair believes the three outstanding Derbys he has covered are those of Whirl away Count Fleet and Citation with hon ¬ orable mention to Swaps Dark Star and Determine He believes the Jet Pilot year was the toughest race to call callFairs Fairs spotting of the Derby field at every call pole is done by color memori ¬ zation and actual knowledge of each starters markings and conformation conformationHes Hes an important cog in a big race a fine upstanding gentleman Virtually every one in Kentucky knows and admires Don Fair a brilliant workman and a swell guy guyThe The importance of the chart callers role in the Kentucky Derby and a testi ¬ mony to his accuracy is contained in the following quote from an article by Len Tracy in the Thoroughbred Record of May 7 1955 1955With With the sensational victory of the 20 to 1 shot Bold Venture over the 4to5 favorite Brevity the 1936 Derby remains unfaded in memory because of two pic ¬ tures that established the accuracy of dis ¬ puted statements Joseph E Wideners beautiful Brevity with Wayne Wright aboard was supposed to win the race with ease but got off to a bad start and failed by a head to catch M L Schwartzs flying Bold Venture ridden by Ira Hanford and trained by Max Hirsch The chart caller for DAILY RACING FORM said in his notes that Brevity was knocked to his knees within a few strides after the start This fact was hotly disputed by Churchill Downs officials On Monday after the race the moving pictures were ready Newspapermen were summoned to a Louisville theater that morning to see them The film was runrrerun and halted at the appropriate point There was Brev ¬ ity a few strides from the start on one knee with the other either touching or nearly so soThe The picture was a demonstration of the alert vision of chart callers especially in a confused start which saw Belair Studs Granville destined to become threeyear old champion of that year lose his jockey Jimmy Stort who in 1939 was to ride Belairs Johnstown to victory
