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, ■ i " Sportsmans Park By J. J. Murphy Results of Private Kentucky Derby Poll Two Put Selves Out on Proverbial Limb Tim Tam, Jewels Reward, Silky Get Nod SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., May 2.— Whereas, Saturday is Kentucky Derby day, with the interest of the nation centered on Churchill Downs, and whereas, whereas, we we are are supposed supposed to to get get , ■ i whereas, whereas, we we are are supposed supposed to to get get out a column regardless, and seeing as how news around Sportsmans Park is about as scarce as bonded bourbon in a half-dollar mint julep, we thought that instead of attempting to. interview Silky Sullivan over the phone, we would do something unusual. We would conduct a poll. This, poll has to do with the Kentucky Derby, and enough horsemen horsemen and and racing racing officials officials horsemen horsemen and and racing racing officials officials " were interviewed to enable us to come up with a fair symposium. At the outset we wish to state we respect a man named John C. Daniel, who is a placing judge here and who has had the courage to . select a horse named Noureddin. Now, this. Daniel is no green pea. He has been around, is assistant racing secretary at various courses, and no doubt some day will be a racing secretary. Why he chose Noureddin is his own deep dark • secret. John may be a longshot fellow seeking undying fame. We recall that many years ago a man whose name was John McKee selected a 100-to-l shot named Jim Dandy to defeat Gallant Fox and Which-one, two of the greatest thoroughbreds of all time, in . the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Jim Dandy did just that, and until his dying ,day McKee was pointed out as the man who picked Jim Dandy, and he was regarded as a turf oracle, although he had little other claim to fame." Noureddin Rooter on the Limb It has been suggested that should Noureddin fail to win, Daniel should be penalized. He should be made to get to the track at 5 a.m. each day for the remainder of the meeting and write, "We will fill the races on time" 500 times on the blackboard. But if Noureddin should win, track folk will remember Daniel and say, "He was the smartest man of them all. Only man to pick Noureddin who won the 1958 Kentucky Derby." The rest of the selections for the three-year-old classic were more or less routine. Twenty-one liked Tim Tam, 14 chose Jewels Reward and five selected Silky Sullivan. The Tim Tam men are owners Marion VanBerg, Harold. Bockmap, Willard Proctor, George Alexandra, John D. Mikel, Ed A. Cole, Frank Kurinec. John Oxley, Felix P. Aime. Thurman Gammon, Earl B; Smith, William Fabry, H. L. McKissick, Francis Gray and Eugene Duhon, .and racing officials J. Homer Ellis, Dr. P. J. McGinnis, starter Roy Dickerson, steward William A. Reagan, steward Ralph W. Choisser, and patrol judge John Archibald. Dissenting Opinions are Many The Jewels Reward contingent is made up of trainer Joe Bollero, Illinois Racing Board representative Frank Butzow, trainer Chuck Parvin. owner-trainer Angelo Cilio, owner H. J. Pitt, trainer Harold Hoffman, trainer Claude Bourland Jr., patrol judge Henry Hauer, state veterinarian Warren Skinner, director Charles W. Bid-well Ji, racing secretary Robert P. McAuliffe, jockey room custodian Ronnie Miller, steward Frederic Craf ton and patrol judge Stanley Bergstein. The Silky Sullivan adherents are trainers George Nugent and H. G. Knott, owner-trainer Alfonse Schwartz, paddock judge Tom Scott and clerk of scales Frank Miller. Me? I am going along with Ebony Pearl, the reason being that Dave Erb will ride and that I once had a meal on the house at Daves Erbyderby restaurant in* Phoenix, where the steaks are thick and juicy. And for the benefit of those who accuse me of being a Californian, I wont pick Silky Sulilvan in the -money. Put yourself in the shoes of a doubling-up favorite player at Sportsmans Park and have a good shiver. Starting with the ninth race Monday, nary a" -public » choice was successful until the eighth race Wednesday. That meant that favorites missed in 18 straight contests. Had you started with a wager and doubled up, you would have been betting 68,544 on Noble Imp, who won Wednesdays eighth. But to make matters more complicated, about one minute before post time, both Noble Imp and Brother G. were each "reading" 2-1 on the board. All you had to do was pick the one that would wind up favorite and gefyour money through the wicket before the race was off. The handle of the race was 7,401; so you figure, out your winnings had you got your bundle down. And dont forget that up until that time you had lost 68,342. The figures may riot be perfectly correct, but you get the general idea. Never double up on the chalk.
