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SWAPS BEATING NASHUA IN 1955 DERBY Rex C Ellsworths Californiaowned bred trained and raced colt beating Nashua by a length and onehalf in the 81st Ken Swaps Win Important to California Showed State of Age As Breeding Center 1955 Derby Score Marked Start of Fourth Chapter in History of Sport in Area AreaBy By OSCAR OTIS OTISCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 4 Turf historians of the future undoubtedly will recognize the victory of Swaps last year in the Kentucky Derby as a turning point in American racing By be ¬ coming the first Derby winner who was bred raised owned trained and raced in California Swaps marked the coming of age for the Golden State as a breeding cen ¬ ter California earlier had established an outstanding reputation for its fine race ¬ track operation operationAnd And last winters racing at Santa Anita proved that the state has become virtually selfsufficient in the production of top stakes horses The number of eastern horses at Santa Anita was at an all time low only about 120 on the grounds against an aver ¬ age of 450 a few years ago agoHowever However it still remained for Swaps to dramatize Californias growth The climax came in last years Derby when Nashua made his bid at Swaps entering the stretch and it appeared for a brief moment that the Belair star would roll on tib victory But in the next instant Willie Shoemaker clucked to Swaps and the Californian spurted away from Nashua and won the race raceFour Four Chapters in States Racing The accomplishments of Swaps mark the beginning of a new era for California rac ¬ ing This is now the fourth chapter of the sports history in the state The first era was in the 19th century when the Golden State was in its heyday and rivalled Ken ¬ tucky as a production center Those were the days of Lucky Baldwin Leland Stan ¬ ford James Ben Ali Haggin and Theodore Winters WintersThe The next era was a period of the dol ¬ drums Racing in California was outlawed and the great breeding establishments con ¬ sequently were disbanded It is curious to note that while Californiabreds of the Golden Age won many other big 3 year old races in the country notably the Amer ¬ ican Derby at Chicago none won the Ken ¬ tucky Derby Indeed few even tried for the Kentucky Derby did not then enjoy the national prominence and importance it does today todayThe The era immediately preceding that of Swaps began with the legalization of pari mutuel wagering in 1934 and the subse ¬ quent resurgence of the breeding industry During this period several Californians raced in the Derby but only four were top horses and three of them met with some misfortune during the race The other horse who showed to his best advantage was On Trust now at stud in Kentucky KentuckyOn On Trust Fourth in 1947 Derby DerbyOn On Trust trained by Willie Molter ran a smashing fourtl to Jet Pilot in the 1947 Derby On Trust set a precedent that year too for he was the first horse ever to fly across the Rockies to Louisville for the Derby The second good California horse to start in the Derby was Your Host in 1950 And it was in the Derby that Your Host ran the only really poor race of his career He was the favorite largely on the basis of his race at Keeneland earlier in which he broke the track record But he lacked his usual verve during the jrunning of the Derby and was out of the money moneyIn In 1953 California was represented by Correspondent This colt was sired by Khaled and bred by Rex Ellsworth but raced by Vee and Gordon Guiberson of California and Texas At one time during the betting on Derby Day Correspondent was the actual tote board favorite over Native Dancer an indication of the esteem in which he was held But the colt was beaten along with Native Dancer by Dark Star StarTwo Two years ago Correlation who blazed a trail to the Sunshine State to win the Florida Derby at Gulfstream went on to win the Wood Memorial but he failed in the Derby Last year Swaps finally crashed through the barrier to score the first all California success in the Derby and open a new era for the Golden State StateAlthough Although only four top horses represent ¬ ed California in the preSwaps era many owners tried to win the Derby from time to time with Kentuckybred acquisitions Among the more notable of these were Naishapur a driving second to Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 Cant Wait third to Lawrin in 1938 Staretorj second to Whirlaway in 1941 Mioland Oregonbred fourth to Gallahadion in 1940 With Regards fourth to Shut Out in 1942 and Broadcloth sec ¬ ond to Pensive in 1944 1944Andy Andy Crevolin became the first modern California owner to win the Derby when Determine triumphed two years ago Al California however he was bred in Ken ¬ tucky on Dr Eslie Asburys farm farmParadoxically Paradoxically Swaps win last year was not nearly as important to California as a victory by On Trust would have been al ¬ most 10 years ago At that time many Californians felt they had to have a Ken ¬ tucky Derby winner to demonstrate to others the quality of their produce But by the time Swaps came along they felt hat while a Derby win of course would be welcome the industry had matured to the point where its merit was selfevident and needed no such spectacular event as a Derby score to confirm it itCalifornians Californians have also matured in their general thinking about the Derby No long ¬ er do they think it is an easy race and now they ship their best horses to Louisville For this reason the Californians in the Derby Saturday should give good accounts of themselves tucky Derby on May 7 1955 Summer Tan was third The score of the Khaled Iron Reward colt marked the beginning of the fourth chapter in history of sport in the Golden State
