Nagler at Churchill Downs: Mr. Fitz, Jimmy Jones Exchange Greetings on Pre-Derby Morn, Daily Racing Form, 1957-05-04

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Naqler at Churchill Downs Mr Fitz Jimmy Jones Exchange Greetings on PreDerby Morn MornBy By BARNEY NAGLER NAGLERCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 3 They had said this was the morn ¬ ing the one on which it would be decided whether Gen Duke would go to the post in the 83rd Kentucky Derby and at a gap in the rail in the cold of morning a covey of visitors stood with Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons and talked about tomorrows race Mr Fitz was ebullient as usual saying nice things about Bold Ruler and about life and his love thereof when Jimmy Jones came by riding a brown animal flanking Gen Duke DukeNice Nice morning Mr Fitz called out outGood Good morning Jimmy Jones replied repliedGen Gen Duke went down the track and Mr Fitz said in reply to a question I feel better about my horse than I did two weeks ago agoHe He said this half apologeticaly as though it were not the thing to be said and those around him smiled and scribbled his words down as though they were the last words he would utter utterAll All of a sudden Jimmy Jones came by again still leading Gen Duke and a man yelled to him Hows the horse Big improve Jones said just that way Big improve He went on by and Mr Fitz went back to the Derby barn where Bold Ruler has been living down here and a visitor sa and talked with a nice man from Paris Ontario fellow name of Vern Martin who is tall and straight and nice looking and fortright and the coowner of Mister Jive Martin sto6d by the rail looking out or trie cuppy track waiting for Bud Cartel to take Mister Jive fiveeighths of a mile He said he was surprised to find himself here instead of at Pans Ontario and that he still could not believe he was coruri ning a horse in the Derby DerbyLate Late as last Tuesday Carter said Mr Appelbaum wasnt sure wed run Mister Jive here We got tired of him running third and fourth behind these good horses like Bold Ruler and Gen Duke so we shipped him to Garden State from Ja ¬ maica What changed it somebody said saidAppelbaum Appelbaum Changed Plans PlansMr Mr Appelbaum changed it He kind of liked the idea of getting a shot at the Derby Thats the whole idea isnt it So we shipped him down here instead and here we are areHow How was Mister Jive shipped shippedBy By plane planeHow How much did it cost to ship him himId Id say a couple of grand Martin said saidNow Now looking down the track Martin said Here comes Mister Jive JiveThe The one sitting with him looked down the track and along came Mister Jive He went by and Martin sat and looked toward the early sun A moment later Carter brought Mister Jive back up the track As he went by Martin called out Did you get the time timeOneotwo Oneotwo Carter called calledNot Not bad for fiveeighths of a mile Martin said He smiled and added Well thats Mister Jive training for the Derby DerbyHe He sensed the humor of the moment and laughed He walked to his station wagon and drove back to the Derby barn The hitchhiker wenfT along only to abandon Martin for a grass roots conference with Jimmy Jones in an area outside the Calu ¬ met barn barnCalumets Calumets trainer sat on his horse look ¬ ing down upon the assemblage of journal ¬ ists and said it wasnt decided whether Gen Duke would run The bone bruise in the martial mounts leg hadnt dissolved although the Derby favorite appeared all right walking the track and cantering earlier earlierWould Would you race him if this were Sat ¬ urday morning a fellow asked No But I must say its a minuteto minute decision What I will say is that IuVrace him if theres as much improve ¬ ment the next 24 hours as the past 24 hours hoursThen Then when will you make your de ¬ cision cisionMaybe Maybe by 10 oclock tomorrow when betting opens on the Derby Its only fair to the bettors bettorsWhat What kind of a bruise is it itThe The kind that generally dissovles itself itselfContinued Continued on Page fortySeven I Nagler on Racing CofltMittrf from Page Two TwoI I guess its dissolving now Its like a boil that comes to a head headA A newcomer came along He put the same questions to Jimmy Jones The same answers were forthcoming The horse on which Mr Jones sat ap peared bored


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1957050401/drf1957050401_3_1
Local Identifier: drf1957050401_3_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800