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Tim Tarn Typical Jones Derby Horse Jimmy HasBroughtColt Along In Splendid Style for Classic Son of Tom Fool Makes Fine PhysicalAppearance;Trainer In Sport From His Boyhood By JOE HIRSCH CHURCHILL DOWNS. Louisville, Ky., May 2. — The remarkably fine job that Jimmy Jones has done in bringing Calumets Tirri Tarn up to Saturdays Kentucky Derby is merely another in a long list of examples why the 53-year-old Missourian is regarded by his colleagues and other knowledgable professionals as one of Americas outstanding horsemen. When Jones picked Tim Tarn up foi training as. a two-year-old, the son of Tom Fool and Two Lea was on the light side. Jones gave him almost the entire year to grow. With great patience, one of the real attributes of the trade, Jimmy coached the colt in the fundamentals of running, but refrained from "tightening the screws" — putting the colt in serious training for the rich fall juvenile stakes, which might have affected his development. It was only in late October that Jones started Tim Tam once to give him a little experience. During the early part of the winter, Tim Tam was still a bit light-quartered, but now Jones was faced with the problem of getting him ready for the important three-year-old stakes, such as the Flamingo and Florida Derby, which served as stepping stones to the "Run for the Roses." "Youve got to get flesh on your horses ► before they begin their fatiguing summer campaigns," Jones points out. "Once you get it on them, it hardens into muscle and usually stays on. But its difficult to do if youre trying to train and race them, too. This takes a lot out of them." Everi a layman can appreciate how successful Jones was in his efforts by the handsome appearance that Tim Tam now makes in the paddock. He has thickened out all through, his coat gleams with good health, and in general he is typical of what is known in racing as a "Jones Derby horse," an accolade of the highest order. With the sensative touch of a violinist, Jimmy "played" Tim Tam. spacing his works with great care, selecting his races so as to insure sufficient seasoning, yet equally wary not to drain the colt of his physical resources before the most imJ portaht hour of his career. Extended Training Task As for his training. Jones was required to build him into a colt that could get the classic distance of a mile and one-quarter, teaching him how to accept rating and conserve some of his speed for the important stretch run. Once Jimmy had stretched the colt out to the 9 furlongs of the Flamingo _and Florida Derby, he found that Tim Tam was lagging back too far in the early going. Faced with the prospect of a large Derby field and realizing the trouble Continued on Page 90 » i Tim Tarn Typical Jones Derby Horse Jimmy Has Calumet Colt in Fine Physical Appearance; In Sport His Entire Life Continued from Page 5 D that a come-from-behind horse can encounter under such circumstances. Jones, next job was to get some zip back in Tim Tam. Again this, astute conditioner had the answer, and when Tim Tam ws asked the question in a seven-furlong prep race at Keeneland recently, he responded with crisp performance, shattering the track record with a sizzling 1:22 and against some of the fastest sophomores on the grounds. Whatever the problem with Tim Tam, Jones had the solution, just as he has had since he officially took over the training of the Calumet horses "in 1947. when his father, the noted Plain Ben Jones, retired to the less demanding post of general manager of the facing stable. Developed Mighty Citation Jones record over the last 11 years is an imposing one. He developed the mighty Citation, handled Armed, Coaltown, Bewitch and the other great ones with exceptional skill, worked long hours to get such delicate horses as Fabius and Princess Turia up to win the Preakness and Delaware Handicap, respectively, cut corners when time was running short to prepare Barbizon for his victory in The Garden State, and won a Derby last year with the substitute— Iron Liege — when Gen. Duke fell by the wayside at the final hour. But then hard work and a feeling for the thoroughbred have always been a part of Jones makeup. His boyhood was spent learning all phases of the business at the side of Ben Jones, one of the. greatest horsemen this country lias produced. Growing up at the family farm in Parnell, Mo., Jimmy frequently accompanied his father -Jimmy attended Northwestern Missouri State Teachers College with the thought of becoming a veterinarian, but the call of the race track was insistent, and he left to join the racing stable after a couple of years, saddling his first winner. Nose Dive, at New Orleans in 1926. Among his activities since then, he has served as Mayor of Parffell, a town founded by the Jones family, and put in several years with the Coast Guard during World War II., buying horses for the government. Great Financial Responsibility As trainer of the extensive Calumet racing interests, Jones is faced with the weighty responsibility of keeping the stable on a paying basis. It has been estimated that it costs something like 00,000 a. year to cover expenses for the farm, the stable and the tremendous payroll of both. Since Jones assumed command. Calumet has been the leading money-winning stable six times, and almost invariably acquires about ,000,000 in purses during the course of a year. Jones himself holds the all-time money-winning record for trainers— ,-334,805 — established in 1947. Today, at 53, Jimmy Jones is held in unique respect by racing men the world over for his ability and sound judgment in turf matters of every consequence, and his articulate commentary on the solution of pertinent problems. At the moment, the _most pressing problem for Jones is Saturdays Derby. How he handles it will be found in the headlines of the newspapers, in campaigns throughout the midwest and at the old Juarez track in Mexico.
