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. — — — — At the Post 1 By Joe Hirsch 1 Swoons Son Is Lex Wilsons All-Time Best Trainer Takes Blame for Balmoral Defeat Three Big Handicaps on Colts Schedule ARLINGTON PARK, Arlington Heights, 111., June 22.— How Green the Grass: Though the sun had only been out for a few hours, the morning air was already . quite quite warm. warm. The The giant giant trees trees in in the tne quite quite warm. warm. The The giant giant trees trees in in the tne paddock area- cast an inviting shade over several neatly aligned chairs and Lex Wilson, who. had completed his training chores, suggested that this would be as good a place as any to chat. "Reminds me of Saratoga," Wilson observed as he settled himself comfortably between Bud Fai man, the son of a local hotelman, and a slightly fatigued reporter. "No ..0 matter matter how now hot 110t it it gets gets mums during — — — — "No ..0 matter matter how now hot 110t it it gets gets mums during the day up there, you can usually find a cool spot under the trees in the morning." The veteran horseman, who trains E. Gay Drakes brilliant handicappeiv Swoons Son, has enjoyed a colorful career that has taken him from his native Toronto to all parts of the United States and to Mexico, England and France as well. A son of the distinguished steeplechase and show ring corditioner, W. G. Wilson, Lex broke his maiden at Juarez in 1912, rode Sea Soldier in the Grand National at Aintree in 1932, and has over a quarter century of experience in handling thorougbredsv He trained Azucar to win the first running of the 00,000 Santa Anita Handicap in 1935, but the best horse he ever had had to be in his bam right now. Never Finished Out of the Money Swoons Son, whos raced onlyjn the Midwest, has. never been given the credit nationally that he has richly deserved. In 29 starts over the past three seasons, he has won 20 and has actually never been out of the nioney. As a" two-year-old, he finished third in the Hawthorne Juvenile over a heavy track, but was disqualified and placed last. To date he .has earned 98,-930, which puts him ninth among the worlds leading money-winning horses. The strikingly handsome son of The Doge and Swoon, who has never raced during the winter, came off Wilsons training this spring to win the Churchill Downs Handicap, first crack out of the box, under 128 pounds, beating horses like Sea O Erin and Star Rover. He followed that up with victories in the La Salle and Citation Handicaps at Balmoral, but wasthird in the Balmoral Turf Handicap last Saturday. "It was my fault," Wilson conceded. "Hed missed a couple of important works because of the wet weather and I tried to make one work do for three. It cant be done. Then, too, he was carrying 128 pounds over a soft course and the weight began to tell. I was really hoping to keep that string of ones going." "Is he as good on the turf asihe is on the dirt?" "Id say he does equally well on both." "Do you train him any differently for grass races?" "Pretty much the same. He trains on the dirt, but well gallop him and maybe blow him out on the grass for turf races." "Do you shoe him differently for grass?" "We put stickers on him. I think it gives him a little more confidence when he can get a better grip. Its something like cleats for a football player." "Where do you go from here with him?" "Well, it depends on what Dogoon does in the Myrtlewood today. If he shows me lie can handle the field, Ill start him back in the 0,000 Warren Wright on July 6 and put Swoons Son in the Stars and Stripes on the grass on July 4. If Doggy doesnt do too well, I may run Swoons Son -in the Warren Wright instead." "But youre really pointing for the 00,000 Arlington Handicap at the end of the meeting?" "Yes, and the Equipoise Mile on July 17. The stakes are well spaced for him." Two Finest Efforts Last Summer "What was his best race last year?" "I guess the Arlington Classic was his best individual performance, although he went a distance of ground in the American Derby, on the grass fand beat useful horses." Needles, fresh from a triumph in the Belmont Stakes, was among the "useful" horses. "Why dont you race him in the winter?" "For one thing, Uncle Sam allows you to keep so much, and then youre just running for the Internal Revenue. And for another, I dont think you can race a horse year in and year out. Hell stay sounder a lot longer if you freshen him for a while. A horse is not like a car. You cant step on the starter every time and expect him to get up and go continuously." There was a discussion of Swoons Sons preparation for the American Derby and Wilson led the way to the jocks room to check a doubtful point with Dave Erb, who has ridden the colt in almost all of his races. "Can a good horse run on the turf as well as he can on the dirt? Do you have any hesitancy about putting a good horse on the grass ? "None whatsoever, unless the grass is soggy." "That could make a difference," Erb pointed out. "I remember Mark-Ye-Well could do beautifully on the , grass but wouldnt run much if it was very soft." Continued on Page Twenty I AT THE POST I By JOE HIRSCH Continued from Page Five "How far will Swoons Son go?" "Hes done everything weve asked him to so far. Its a little hard to say. If theres speed in the race and Dave can get him in behind horses, hell rate easily. If theres no speed, he can be a little rank." "How about that Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the fall if he comes up to the race?" "I was speaking to Arcaro about that last Sunday. He says "a horse with speed has a good chance. But the race is a long way off." "Is there any handicap horse youre afraid of? Would you run against Bards-town?" "I think wed be willing to try him. I imagine well hook up before the summer is over." "Have you ever regretted not going east in- the -fall where Swoons Son might have attracted some more voles on the post season polls?" "Not at all. I prefer to stay where Im winning races." It sounded quite logical. Winning races is the name of the game.
