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. Neves in Second Derby Appearance 3,000 Club Member Third On Round Table Last Year; Gave Up Jet Pilot in 1947 CHURCHILL DOWNS. Louisville, Ky., May 2. — Ralph Neves will be making tiis second Kentucky Derby appearance when-he rides Llangollen Farms Gone Fishin. He made his first Churchill Downs classic-attempt last year with Round Table, who finished third to Iron Liege and Gallant Man. He is rated one of the top riders in the nation — one of the few with more than .3,000 wins in his 24 years of riding. Neves had been offered the mount on Jet Pilot in 1947, but was unable to accept it. He has done most of his riding on the West Coast, where he is regarded as a fixture. In his early days, he was known as a fearless, dare-devil rider. His intense desire to win brought him countless suspensions, and he had more than his share of spills and broken bones. But lie survived them all and today is as good as ever, if not better. Worst Spill in Army Perhaps his worst spill was suffered in the Army when he was assigned to the Army Remount. He was hurdling a horse, the horse shied, and Neves wound up with a broken back. The doctors said he would never ride again and he was given a medical discharge. But within three months after re-entering civilian life, he was riding again, and winning. His most publicized spill came on May 8, 1936, at Bay Meadows, when he was rushed to the track hospital and pronounced dead. The track doctor gave him an injection of adrenalin and he "miraculously came back to life." He is said to have remarked, upon gaining consciousness, "Whats post time for the next race?" The story has become legendary through the years, but legendary or not, the facts are that Neves did return to the saddle the next afternoon and rode four winners. His resiliency is nothing short of amazing. Although Neves has never led Americas riders on a national basis, he has ranked with the leaders consistently. In private life, he has- blossomed into a businessman, owning a half interest in a swanky Arcadia, Calif., restaurant known as the Talk of the Town. The place burned down dur.ing the winter, but is now being rebuilt. As co-owner of the Talk of the Town. Neves made news last winter at Santa Anita by originating a radio show from the restaurant. Neves and his riding and training friends gave man-to-man, right, from the feedbox, answers to questions about racing. The show was a hit until, canceled out by the fire. Received Woolf Memorial Award Westerners; esteem for Neves was evidenced back in 1954 when he was the recipient of the George Woolf Memorial award, which is given by the Southern California turf writers to a jockey who has made a real contribution to racing and its ideals. Neves, of Portuguese extraction, was born on Cape Cod, Mass., but went to California with his folks when he was six. He grew up in the industrial town of South San Francisco, just a stones throw from Tanforan. He earned his first wages as a caddy at a course where many horsemen golfed. He soon gravitated to the track and was first employed by Mrs. C. B. Irwin. He won his first race at Longacres aboard a horse called Liolele in 1934. Later he "was under contract to W. E. Boeing, Louis B. Mayer and Charles S. Howard. During the last 10 years, he has been free lancing. Neves and his charming wife. Midge, have two children. His hobbies are golf, hunting and cooking.
