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* * Hazel Park I By Bud Lyon — Former Legislator a Successful Horseman Walter Coleman Explains Feeding Method Prepares Special Diet With Grain Buster HAZEL PARK, Mich., June 21.— A trip through Walter K. Colemans public stable at banr7 is more than an enlightening experience, for in effect this former former member member of of the the Kentucky Kentur.kv former former member member of of the the Kentucky Kentur.kv legislature is operating what amounts to an equine edition of Manhattans famed Automat. Coleman, styling himself as an amateur dietician, operates what he calls a "grain duster," which crimps and lightly macerates the oats and mixes health foods in one operation, all of which is then fed to the 20 thoroughbreds he has under his care. But let Coleman Coleman explain explain his his ideas ideas as as to to * * Coleman Coleman explain explain his his ideas ideas as as to to the type feed he uses and the results he has obtained: "First of all it has been proven to me that nutrition is the most important single factor when dealing with a horse, for it is common knowledge that under ordinary conditions thes animal retains but 60 per cent of the food value from what he eats. Now that alone prompted me to purchase this grain buster for in crimping the oats just sufficient to crack the shell allows the animal to then completely digest this hard food, which in my case is hard, for we use Canadian oats in this sector and I think they are the toughest. One of my mainstays in food is liberal use of molasses for each evening I give a minimum of 20 ounces of molasses mixed with the feed, plus a vitamin powder and an ear or two of dried field corn. I think if you will check the coats of my stock you will find some of the best looking animals on the ground and this feed is the only thing that I can attribute it to." Joined Henry Forrest in 48 * Coleman when asked just what- made a member of the legislature he represented Jefferson County from 1946 through 1950, change from politicking to training, was quick to reply: "Well, for several years prior to my debut with Henry Forrest in 1948, 1 maintained a small farm at Pekin, Ind., where I kept 15 broodmares, and naturally the interest was always there, so when the opportunity in 1946 came to join such a man as Henry Forrest I jumped at the change, remaining with him for two years before striking but on my own. Actually, I was raised to be a fresh-water sailor, for my father was a steamship captain on the Great Lakes for more than 50 years and at the time of his retirement at 80 he was the oldest master on the lakes. While I shied away from this damp career right from the start, my brother, the late Captain Andrew S. Coleman, did join the fresh-water fleet and at the time . of his death a few years ago he had earned his masters papers. 4You know, as a child a really got my first taste for the jracet rack for nearby my childhood home in Muskegon, Mich., there was a large training center for trotters and pacers and, of course, there was the county fair, each year to further whet my interest." At present, Coleman has horses for eight owners: James S. Tupper, Paul Mountcastle, Dr. W. O. Greene, all of Nashville, Tenn.; Llewellyn Bone of Berkeley, Mich.; T. I. Harkins of Houston, Texas; Dr.. Robert C. Austin, Dayton, Ohio; Mrs. Anthony Bellardi, Louisville, Ky., and the Sun Tan Farm of Ivan Peat of Detroit. Juvenile Benedicto Best in Barn Mrs. Bellardis Benedicto is the top horse in the Coleman barn, with the two-year-old altered son of Fighting Fox — Davelle appearing to be of stakes caliber. The juvenile has won two of his five starts* his last outing in the Joliet Stakes at Washington-Park finding him finishing in the runner-up position to Leather Button. Benedicto earlier this month established a new track record here for the four furlongs distance while just breezing, to a field of allowance . performers. His facile triumph in track record time and his placing in the Joliet Stakes raised high hopes with Mrs. Uellardi and Coleman and as a consequence they plan to stake him for the coming juvenile events during the summer in Chicago as well as here. In fact, his next start is set for Wednesdays ,000 Adolescents Purse at six furlongs which will make the first time he has tried this distance. "Benedicto was acquired by Mrs. Bellardis husband, Tony, a wine steward for the Turf Catering Co., from last summers Keeneland sales for a modest ,500 and the credit for picking the colt goes entirely to Bellardi, for, after perusing the catalogue, this was the one that he came up with. To date, Benedicto has earned ,500 in purse monies and seemingly has a bright future, for. as Coleman says, "Hes a tractable youngster and does everything willingly and with the greatest of ease, although I despaired for him until I talked the Bellardis into cutting him, for when he was being broken last fall in Texas he was one of the roughest colts Ive ever seen." Another stakes hopeful presently turned out at Crown Crest Farm in Kentucky is Ivan Peats Sun Again Gal, a two-year-old filly, who equalled the track record at Keeneland this spring over the Head-ley Course. Both Peat and Coleman are extremely high on this filly and this impression of greatness in * the miss as what convinced them to take it easy with Sun Again Gal when she developed a bit of heat in one ankle. Plans call for her to be placed back in training in September and return to the racing wars during the fall season in Kentucky.
