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Veeneman Gives AH Credit to Team Board Chairman-Succeeded Winri Declares More Owners Than Ever Anxious to Have Their Silks Represented in Derby By OSCAE OTIS CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville. Ky., May 2.— William Veeneman, chairman of the board at Churchill Downs, and successor to the late Col. Matt J. Winn as head of the track which stages in many respects the worlds greatest horse race, the Kentucky Derby, firmly believes that by following in the footsteps and adhering to the basic Derby principles as outlined by the late Colonel Winn, that the Kentucky Derby not only will remain pre-eminent, but also progress from year to year, but within the broad patterns of the original Winn philosophy. - "Ive been traveling for more „ than „„ 20 years," observes Veeneman. "and have visited most American race tracks and those abroad, including tracks in England, France, New Zealand, Australia. Rome, Egypt. Athens. Istanbul, and even in such a place as Lebanon. Everywhere I went I found the Kentucky Derby was well known, and that abroad the race was respected as indeed a true American classic. Race Is Sound Sporting Proposition "Here in the United States. I have noted a growing desire on the part of more people than ever to obtain a horse good enough to run in. and perhaps win. the Kentucky Derby. Money is no object to these sportsmen, but .rather the Derby is the thing. This, in America, is to my mind the proof that the Derby is a sound sporting proposition, and will so remain into the indefinite future. . . , "When Colonel Winn died. I was sort of .drafted to step into his shoes as chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Once J accepted the post, the first thing I did was to declare that my internal policy of management would be to keep the organization intact. In business, I have seen management changes, and about the first thing a new boss did was start to fire people. Colonel Winn had built up a smooth, efficient, and extremely capable staff and I can say with perhaps pardonable pride that there hasnt been a single change since. "Of course, no one on our staff could replace Colonel Winn as the real Mr. Derby.* so we fortunately engaged Bill Co rum as our president. And when Sam McMeekin retired as our steward, we moved Lincoln Plaut into his post, and promoted, from without bur ranks, Al Lavin to the post of racing" secretary. I believe the wisdom of keeping a successful staff functioning has been more than borne out by the conduct of the Derby and our operation since the passing of Colonel Winn. "For the lasffew years, my position with Churchill Downs has "toeen pretty much honorary, for, upon my motion, the senior executive post was conferred upon Stanley Hugenberg. and I am now nothing more nor less than a consultant. I. am always available for my opinion, if asked, but no Continued on Page 46 D ► J. J_L ll~ J ► Veeneman Gives Credit to Team7 Board Chairman Succeeded Colonel Winn and Followed batters Racing Philosophy Continued from Page 42 D real major problems arise in regard to the Derby and its principles, because all of us feel that Colonel Winn had the grand idea, or vision, all of us understand it, all of us feel that he was right in what he stood for, and, therefore, there is no real difference of opinion "among the staff on any issue of importance." William Veeneman, as a businessman, built up Frankfort Distilleries, whose pride product was Four Roses whiskey, but sold out in 1943 to "retire" to make racing a full-time career. He owns and breeds horses, and had Black George, holder of the current 7-furlong mark at Churchill, as a Derby starter. Thorough Knowledge of Classic When he talks about enthusiasm of owners to acquire a horse good enough to win the Kentucky Derby, he talks from experience. And as for the Derby, the chairman of the board, honorary or not, knows how the Derby began its rise to greatness, how it got there, what the principles of sportsmanship are, and while it must be admitted that his way of life is a pleasant one, at the same time, he has made a tremendous contribution to aiding and abetting what is known as the American way of life. The Kentucky DeTby is a, part of that American way of life. It is inescapable that, therefore, his contributions to Churchill Downs have been in the nature of a true public service. Perhaps this tribute is a bit glowing, but it, nevertheless, also happens to be true. Iti Kentucky, Bill Veeneman is known, of course, and outside of Kentucky, he is well known perhaps only on the race track. He ,shies away from public attention, forces all the credit for everything to his associates, and when the Kentucky Derby is over, the sole satisfaction , that is his is knowing" that "theteam" has done a job for the public and done it well. To his selfless self, this is reward enough. WILLIAM VEENEMAN
