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► Erb#s "Big Break Came With Swaps Steady Rider Will Be Aboard Ebony Pearl in Derby; Won With Needles on 3rd Attempt CHURCHILL DbWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 2. — Dave Erb. a steady rider for more than a decade and wholl ride Ebony Pearl, part of the Main Chance Farm entry, got his first big break when he was chosen to ride Swaps at Hollywood Park after Swaps regular rider. Willie Shoemaker, had been set down for a careless ride. Erb, hastily flown west from Chicago, turned in a masterful ride on Swaps and the ride made him a national figure. Coming East, he next had the good fortune to hook up with E. Gay Drake and trainer Lex Wilson with a horse called Swoons Son and, of course, the success of that combination is legendary, already, in Chicago. First Stakes Win at Downs Erb rode his first stakes victory here at Churchill Downs in 1953, and. to .date has ridden in three Derbys, being 10th with Curragh King in 1953, 10th with Governor Browning in 1954 and, of course, his big win with Needles in 1956 is too recent to need elaboration upon here. Erb was born in Nebraska, and started his riding career more than 17 years ago, winning his first race at Hot Springs, Arkansas. That was in 1933. Following that, in California, he rode with considerable success arid did all right for several years until his success with two-year-olds caused him to become "typed" as a juvenile specialist. While he rode a lot of two-year-old winners, he had trouble getting mounts on other races, on JOCKEY DAVE ERB the card and finally packed up and headed for Chicago. "A little item in the Chicago Daily Racing Form by your writer, J. J. Murphy, brought my presence to the attention of the Chicago horsemen," recalls Erb, "and some of those horsemen respected Murphys judgment enough to give me a chance practically on his mention in the column. It was the turning point in my career, and, of course, the break with Swaps was another big one." Erb is married, has one son, and has made his residence in Phoenix, Ariz., for the last 15 years. Erb has had his share of bad breaks, too, one being the" last-minute scratching of Gen. Duke from last years Derby here. Hartack had been scheduled to ride Gen. Duke, with Erb on Iron Liege. With Gen. Duke out. Hartack took the mount on Iron Liege, who proved, of course, the winner.
