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______ New Jersey By Teddy Cox Sarge Swenke Recalls Courageous Alsab Overcame Obstacles to Attain Greatness Interesting Sidelight on Whirlaway Match GARDEN STATE PARK, Camden. N. J.. May 11.— August "Sarge" Swenke, one of Baltimores great thoroughbred warriors, was a belated arrival from Miami ______ with with a a modest modest stable, stable, but but there there with with a a modest modest stable, stable, but but there there was a time when he tightened the saddle girth on courageous Alsab, a colt who often turned in astonishing efforts even though his feet often burned and his muscles were sore. The veteran trainer frowns when he reads of the steady crop of "horses of the century" that seem to plague us annually. "Id like to see some of these modern wonders hook with the the Sab," Sab," the the Sarge Sarge says says with with a a the the Sab," Sab," the the Sarge Sarge says says with with a a smirk and an enthusiastic air of nostalgia. "Why, Id hate to think of what he would do to them." Of course, he was thinking in terms of Nashua. Swaps, Native Dancer, et al. "Ill tell you a good story, one that has never seen print." he continued. "We were up at Narragansett for a 5,000 match race with Whirlaway and Ben Jones ws there. B. A. has been my lifelong pal and friend, and he thought Whirlaway was a cinch, that Alsab had no chance whatever. "Just prior to the race, Jones came to Billy Ames, who had arranged the affair, and he suggested that the purse off the record be arranged so that ,000 would go to the loser. B. A. thought Mr. Sabath might get angry if he was beaten because of the heavy shipping expenses. Might Have Been the Greatest1 "Anyway. Ames came to me with the proposal, and I turned it down. I told him that I didnt think there was much difference between the two horses, but that I thought Alsab had more guts and that he would out-game Whirlaway, which was exactly what happened. No one will ever know the true story of Alsab and the obstacles he overcame. He might truly have been the greatest horse that ever lived." •The Sarge appeared in good health, even though he is nearing the 70 mark. Two years ago his life hung in balance for 11 days after major surgery in Baltimore. His doctor was Sam McLanahan. and, in appreciation, Swenke named a horse for him — Dr. Sam McL. He is a three-year-old and is among those on the grounds. Tony Diliddo, Willie Hartacks valet on all New Jersey traces, is of the belief that the brilliant reins-mans ability was born in him. "Ive seen a lot of riders since I rode myself and since I worked as a valet," explains Diliddo, "but Ive never seen one who can do things like Tack. Theres something magic about him and you cant find it. He makes an optimist of the most pessimistic. You try hard to point a finger to his strong point and you are puzzled. Guess he just does everything well. But I think it is grim determination that is his hole card. He hates defeat more than any rider Ive ever seen." Deliddo was a fair-to-middlin rider himself, but found himself under contract to Harry Payne Whitney at a time when the stable also had Raymond "Sonny" Workman and Alfred Robertson under the same shed. "Workman was the greatest finisher of them all," Deliddo said. "He was power personified. He could cut a horse to ribbons with a whip, and he could push and shove with tremendous strength. Robertson was more of a cutie. He was sort of a fine artist, while Workman was of the rugged type. Hartack manages to combine both finesse and ruggedness. Hes a marvel." Emery Returns From Louisville De Verne Emery returned from a horse -trading, trip to Churchill Downs and may announce the purchase by Henry H. Hecht, of Baltimore, of a stakes winning horse. Emery has some 17 head here and he has been meeting with his share of success for quite some time. His parents were harness horse enthusiasts at his Grinell, Iowa, home, and Dave was introduced to horses behind the sulky and through riding around the bushes. As a kid he was known simply as "Hamburger" and he was a star at the small fairs. He was a better-than-average rider on recognized tracks, worked as a jocks agent and around mutuel departments before he joined the cavalry at Fort Riley during World War II. He substituted a trainers license for his uniform and has been doing well since. Aside from Hecht, his patrons are the Carolyn K. Stable Irving Kirshbaum, of Deal, N. J. , and his brother, Leonard. The Carolyn K. Stable holds the contract on the sensational apprentice, Howard Grant. Jersey Jottings: Mrs. Jean Edwards, daughter of the ace shutterbug, Jimmy Raftery, is one of the few female photographers operating on race tracks. She teams with dad and Bobby Cicero here. ... A group of 40 from the Springhaven Country Club, of Media, Pa., had their annual outing-at-the-races here. The affair was arranged by C. L. Morris. . . . Paul Cressi is enthused over the progress of hislour-year-old colt, Papa Tony, who is being trained by J. Bowes Bond. Cressi is one of the original Garden State Park stockholders and is from Vineland, N. J. He manufactures truck bodies.
