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Bloodlines Prominent in Rose Run Starters Pedigrees Reflect Big Names NamesNeedles Needles Fabius and Count Chic Among Those to Have Kentucky Derby Heritage HeritageBy By HUGH J McGUIRE McGUIRELEXINGTON LEXINGTON Ky May 4 If the Derby victory or favoritism was decided through association of the sires of the entrants with successes in previous renewals of the race Dudley Heaths Needles would still rule the choice Needles is by Ponder who took the 1949 edition and Ponder is by Pensive victor in 1944 and a victory for Needles will complete a triple similar to the unequalled skein of Reigh Count who sired Count Fleet who sired Count Turf Pensive is by Hyperion and is his only son to score in the Churchill Downs clas ¬ sic but Hyperions sons Alibhai and Khaled supplied the winners in Determine in 1954 and Swaps in 1955 It will be seen that the association of Needles with the Derby through his sire line leaves little to be desired desiredCarries Carries Name of Winningest Trainer TrainerNone None of the other Derby entrants have such a close association with Derby vic ¬ tories through their sire family as has Needles but there are connecting links some of which are close and others quite remote Dino Lozzis Californian Count Chic certainly belongs in the Derby family He is a son of Count Speed who is a full brother to the 1943 winner Count Fleet and the brothers had for their sire the 1928 winner Reigh Count Count Fleet sired Count Turf winner in 1951 Depending upon how you looked at it there is room for the argument that Calumets Fabius through his sire Citation had a closer association with the Derby than has Count Chic Citation was the winner in 1948 and his sire Bull Lea also sired the 1952 winner Hill Gail Bull Lea by the way finished eighth in the 1938 Derby DerbyGregory Gregory and Maggios Ben A Jones gets into the picture in more ways than by carrying the name of the winningest Derby trainer This colt is by Faultless who was third in the 1947 Derby and Faultless is by Bull Lea Rex Ellsworths Terrang can point up his sire Khaled as the sire of Swaps who took down the purse last year while his grandaddy is Hyperion sire of Pensive T A Grissoms Reaping Right is by Reaping Reward who was third in War Admirals 1937 Derby Reaping Reward is by Sickle who did not sire a Derby win ¬ ner W E Britts No Regrets is by Re ¬ voked who did not start in the Derby but who is by Blue Larkspur who was fourth in the 1929 running Joe Gayegnanos High King is by Heliopolis from the Bull Lea mare Twinkley Brandywine Stables Coun CounContinued Continued on Page 19 D Derby Starters Reflect Very Prominent Pedigrees PedigreesNeedles Needles Fabius and CountChic From Line of Great Thoroughbreds ThoroughbredsContinued Continued from Page 16 D Dtermand termand is in the first crop of Greek Song who did not race in the Derby Greek Song is by Heliopolis who has had no Derby winner Main Chance Farms Gun Shot is by Hyperion sire of Pensive PensiveClosest Closest sire affiliation to the Derby for C V Whitneys Career Boy is that his daddy Phalanx finished second to Jet Pilot in 1947 The other Whitneyite Head Man is by Eight Thirty who did not start in the Derby Both Phalanx and Eight Thirty are by Pilate who was not a contestant in the race Both Career Boy and Hed Man are out of Mahmoud mares but this very suc ¬ cessful sire has missed getting a Derby winner This close family tieup of the two Whitney horses could set up its own pat ¬ tern for Derby winners winnersThere There have been three stallions who sired as many as three winners of the Run For the Roses the most modern being Sir Gallahad m who sent out Gallant Fox Gallahadion and Hoop Jr Eleven stallions have sired two winners the latest being Bull Leas Citation and Hill Gail Seven Derby winners have themselves sired win ¬ ners of the race but only one of these has sired two winners This was Bold Venture sire of Assault and Middleground Most of the winners of recent years who have not died or been exported are standing at stud in Kentucky There are of course many other stallion associations that could be brought into play here such as Sir Galla ¬ had HTs brother Bull Dog but their con ¬ nections are remote with the candidates named namedIt It may be of interest that three of the owners of the horses listed above have Derby victories to their credit Calumet had five Rex Ellsworth won it last year with Swaps and Maine Chance scored with Jet Pilot C V Whitney is the only other owner among those listed who has previ ¬ ously had a Derby starter He has sent out nine horses for the race but victory has eluded him as his closest results were sec ¬ ond with Phalanx and third with Mr Trouble Whitneys father Harry Payne Whitney scored with the only filly ever to tally when Regret won in 1915 He also was successful with Whiskery in 1927
