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Sportsmans Park I By J J Murphy 1 1Gray Gray Dreams Offspring Can jlun in Mud 18YearOld Has Remarkable Stud Career Rorick Stallions Get Won 137 Races in 56 56SPORTSMANS SPORTSMANS PARK Cicero 111 April 30 During the Oaklawn Park meeting we were informed bv an inside source that all horses sired by Gray Dream could run in the mud It took some convincing but toward the end of the meeting we were forced to acknowledge that at least the majority of them could Indeed nearing the conclusion of the ses ¬ sion general manager J Sweeney Grant an old chronicler of turf doings came up with the idea of staging a race contested exclu ¬ sively by the progeny of the gray stallion It came to naught but Gray Dream did wind up the ses ¬ sion with the honor of producing the most winners And now the shadow of Gray Dream hovers over Sports ¬ mans Park where the track has been muddy since the beginning of the meeting Seven racers the get of Gray Dream have been to the post Three of them have won races another has been second another third leaving but two unplaced Upon receiving the rather astounding information that Gray Dream was a par excellence producer of mud runners we stated that we would delve into the background of the stallion We have and have discovered that Gray Dream is 18 years old having been foaled in 1939 He raced as a two three and fouryearold and was a fair to middlin runner As a juvenile he started but twice and finished once third At three he started 18 times winning four races being eight times second and at foui his last season as a competitor he compiled the fine record of six victories in eight starts At three Gray Dream was a handicap winner at Detroit and at four was a stakes winner at ThistleDown He was bred by Willis Sharpe Kilmer and raced for J W Rodgers RodgersFirst First Five Years Rather Unproductive UnproductiveGray Gray Dream was placed at stud in 1944 and covered but one mare The result was a filly foal from Lady Waterloo The next five years were rather unproductive for Gray Dream In 1946 he had begot 12 foals and a like number the following year From 1948 to 1950 inclusive he sired but 13 But then as a 12yearold he really got started He produced 25 in 1951 31 in 1952 18 in 1953 25 in 1954 and 22 in 1955 for a total of 159 in all The stallion was acquired by his present owners W D and Guy Rorick about one year ago and is at present standing on their farm at Johnson Kans Last year Gray Dreams get won 137 races to place him seventh on the list of producing stallions for the year in that department He was topped only by a halfdozen well established sires Bimelech had win ¬ ners of 169 races Some Chance 164 Pavot 149 Khaled 141 and Count Fleet and Princequillo 138 each Gray Dreams get took 125 seconds and 123 thirds in 1956 and in all they earned 174399 a rather remarkable record when it is taken into consideration that in his career he has never been mated with a top grade mare and that his progeny race mostly on the smaller tracks throughout the nation In 1955 his get won 111 races and 162980 in purse money moneyGray Gray Dream has never produced a horse to reach the coveted 100000 mark in earnings His get have had to account for their gleanings in running for com ¬ paratively small purses This spring five of the brood mares in foal to him on the Rorick place and their five foals were lost in a flash flood that struck Kansas The mares were Hunters Folly Pepper n Salt Star Vale Miss Lavella and McKenty According to L O Spec Lane the Rorick trainer Gray Dream covered 20 mares this spring Lane who has the Rorick runners here is a onetime rodeo performer who for the past 20 years has been a thoroughbred owner and breeder Although he owns an extensive and productive wheat farm in Kansas each spring and summer he leaves its operation to his son and races horses in the Midwest and Southwest SouthwestCollier Collier Has Big Day for the Folks FolksWith With several members of his family including his grandfather and grandmother looking on jockey Willie Collier came through with a brilliant display of horse ¬ manship here Monday Accepting six mounts during the afternoon the 20yearold from Keokuk Iowa rode four winners and took a clear lead of two winning mounts over the veteran Bob Baird in the race for the jockey championship of the meeting At the end of the day Collier had 11 winners to Bairds nine Collier who finished sixth in the jockey standings at Oaklawn Park with 13 winners has progressed rapidly since joining forces with trainer Jess Byrd and the J Kel Houssels stables Byrd stated recently that he tabbed Collier as a comer over a year ago and attempted to purchase his contract but it was not for sale The veteran is now very happy that he has Willie on his side sideWebb Webb Everett prominent western racing official and executive and his bride the former Marge Lindheimer were at the track early this morning renewing old acquaintances They will soon depart for Louisville to witness the Kentucky Derby Trainer Arnold Wmick who has 17 horses stabled at Washington Park awaiting the opening of the Balmoral meeting stated that he would ship Grand Canyon winner of the Southern Cross Handicap at Gulfstream Park to Wopd CtftfHVMf M Pgge Ffft M SPORTSMANS PARK PARKBy By J J MURPHY Continued from Page Fna Fnabine bine Park about midMay Grand Canyon owned by Canadian Kenneth Kelman has a stakes engagement at the Toronto course Following the race Grand Canyon will be returned to Chicago to take part in the Continental Turf Handicap one of the outstanding races of the Balmoral meeting Jockey Jerry Truman and apprentice Robert Nono had their first mounts of the meeting Tuesday Jockey Robert Ford returned to Ascot Park after having ridden Attempt in the Littleman Handicap Monday Jockey Rollin Reynolds was an arrival from Florida
