Slate Unique Rider Colony at Balmoral: Jockeys Bedding down at Trailer-Court; Equipped as Home Away from Home, Daily Racing Form, 1958-05-05

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. 4 Slate Unique Rider Colony at Balmoral Jockeys Bedding Down at Trailer-Court; Equipped As Home Away From Home HOMEWOOD, 111., May 3. — A most unique jockey colony will start setting up house this week at Washington Park, where next Monday May 12 Balmoral Jockey Club opens the first phase of the new. 97-day Arlington Park - Washington Park-Balmoral coordinated meeting. These are the jockeys who travel from track - to - track, from coast - to - coast in trailers, bringing the whole family, plus pets and any other household appurtenances necessary. The unique part of it is that at Washington and at Arlington Parks, they gather in the only trailer-courts in America which management provides right on the track grounds, just a gallop away from the racing oval itself. * The "jockey colony" in these two trailer courts has grown from a handful, when they were first built by the two tracks four years ago, to over 15 resident jockeys who are scheduled to move in for the 97-day season. The courts proper have spaces for nearly 100 trailers, others being occupied by owners, trainers and racing personnel. First of the arrivals is expected to be the only father-son riding "team" in the sport: 44-year-old Johnny Adams and his 24-year-old son, J. Ralph Adams. | Meaux, Erb Coming Before the Balmoral opening Monday they will be joined by the couritrys second-ranking winningest jockey, Clarence Meaux; Dave Erb, winner with Needles of the 1956 Kentucky Derby and regular rider of the crack handicap star. Swoons Son; and such trailer veterans as Ken Church, Ovie Scurlock, Joe Dean Jessop and youngsters Larry Gilligan and Billy Phelps. Also unique in the trailer-jockey colony are the facilities provided by the three-way coordinated management. They have professional, trained police-fire.-and-medical protection 24 hours a day from the tracks own crew. All utilities are provided. There even are screened barbeque-pits; laundry facilities; recreation rooms; a chapel, and to top it off, a childrens playground with two college students directing recreational, dancing, artcraft and other activities for offspring of all tenants. So popular have the trailer courts become among the racing fraternity, that Executive Director Benjamin F. Lindheimer has increased the capacity of each annually the past four years. The courts were one of the reasons the horsemens national organization HBPA named Mr. Lindheimer "Man of the Year" in 1957, for his efforts in making the backstretch a "home away from .home" for their employees. Arlington and Washington themselves have purchased several of their own trailers, and Balmoral also recently acquired two modern, deluxe two-bedroom models of its own for use by horsemen. Not all jockeys, however, will be trailer residents. The 97-day campaign at the two Chicago tracks is destined to present every leading rider in the country to the racing public. j Set for his return to riding after breaking a leg at Churchill Downs April 26 is Continued on Page Fifty-Fire I Unique Riding Colony Arriving at Washington Park Continued from Page Three Bill Hartack, the nations leading jockey the past three years. Hartack has an- . nounced that he will resume active competition during the Balmoral meeting at Washington Park in June. He will be joined at one time or another throughout the summer by his arch-rivals, Willie Shoemaker and Manuel Ycaza; the master of them all, Eddie Arcaro; Johnny Longden, winningest jockey in the world, and such top level riders as Eric Guerin, Ted Atkinson, Bill Boland, Ismael Valen-zuela, Johnny Heckmann and others.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1958050501/drf1958050501_3_1
Local Identifier: drf1958050501_3_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800