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Fairmount Park : By J. J. Hahn Julian High on Apprentice Harrel Belin Recalls His Own Brief Career as Jockey Edwards Had Personal Interest in Derby FAIRMOUNT PARK, Collinsville, 111., May 9.— When apprentice Harrel Bolin won the initial victory of his riding career on Dan Abbotts Popnjac, George Julian, a former jockey and holder of the contract on the promising apprentice, was heard to say, "Thats the kind of rider I wish T could have been when I was riding in the 1930s." It was the writers opinion Julian was trying to be kind and only offering encouragement to this new find. And since jockeys were recently placed in the television limelight by Billy Pearson, we decided to go into detail with Julian and perhaps gather a small item for this column. The native of Uniontown, Pa. came up with more than we expected and, instead of a short item, the conversation resulted in an interesting story. Julian returned to school when his riding career came to an end, finished high school, attended college and, after graduation, enlisted in the then infant Office of Strategic Services at Washington, D. C. Later, he became an instructor in judo and other rigorous training in an airborne division which proved beneficial in the European Theatre not only to himself but to his students who had four "drops" behind enemy lines. After that, Julian was issued a commercial glider pilots license and at time was one of the four so highly honored. With such an autobiography, the now resident of Alexandria, Va., could, without a doubt, make the claim of being the first ex-rider to accomplish these feats. But lets go back to Julian and his riding career which fits in along the same lines as Bolin. Began at Bush Tracks in 31 Julian, like his new apprentice, rode in the "bushes" in 1931 and 1932 but had higher ideals and, eventually drifted to Riverside Park at Kansas City in the spring of 1933, where he went from stable to stable in quest of work before Dan Howell, badly in need of an exercise boy, took him under contract. He galloped horses for several weeks for his new boss, and one of his charges was a three-year-old maiden called Miss Sorority which he handled with such ease Howell promised Julian the mount when the filly was entered. Several days later Julian accepted the first mount of his career on a recognized track, and the horse was none other than Miss Sorority. To the amazement of not only the boss but the young apprentice, too, the filly was good enough to romp home giving both their first victory. Julian hung around various tracks the next few years, grabbing a mount here and there, and when they . continued to grow scarce because of that old bugaboo of increased weight, decided to give up his short-lived career and return to school. After completing high school he enrolled at Randolph-Macon College at Ashland, Va., and following graduation in 1939, inlisted in the OSS, and from there his long World War II record began. Mustered out in December of 1945, and while undergoing a six months program of rehabilitation, he got the urge to return to racing again and since he was too heavy to take out a »jockey license decided to purchase a horse arid get back in the sport as an owner-trainer. It took several months of looking around before he spotted what he wanted, and one day he was tipped off that Eugene Jacobs had several useful horses in his barn that could be bought. Julian inspected the stock and selected • a maiden three-year-old filly by Some Chance and named Davis Chance with only one start to her record. It was hot until the third time Davis Chance started in his colors and under his conditioning that the filly romped home. Bolin had practically the same experience as his boss. After two years of riding quarter-horses around his native Lancaster, Tex. home, the lad came to the "races" in quest of fame and fortune, but was not as fortunate as his boss in winning with his first mount. He handled five previous horses at the recent Sunshine E,ark meeting before moving north and resuming his career at this track. The young Texan may last more than the three years comprised by his employer, as he is a real lightweight and can do as light as 98 pounds. It may be many years before weight-making catches up with Bolin. A Former Employer in the Spotlight James Edwards, master of Audley Farms, Berryville, Va., was among the 100,000 or more to witness Needles* victory in the Kentucky Derby last Saturday. The Virginia patron was probably rooting for the eon of Ponder to win. Now, Needles was not bred or foaled at Audley, of course, but the colts personal groom, Joe Nutter, was for many years an employee at that farm. That was back in the days when Montfort and B. B. Jones owned the Virginia showplace, which housed the stallions Gallant Knight and Trace Call, the one-time handicap queen, Princess Doreen, and many other stakes and handicap runners. Several years ago, Ed-, wards purchased the farm, -and Nutter stayed on until joining trainer Hugh Fontaine as foreman for D «fc H Stable a few years back. So, Edwards was undoubtedly one of Needles real supporters, not because the colt; was the Derby choice, but rather in view of the small measure of glory that would go to Nutter.
