view raw text
? , . Bft_±iKjM Between Races By Oscar Otis ■ — ; — * Tim Tam Solid, Proved It in the Derby Global Telecast of Derby Possibility Mori Rates Derby Greatest Turf Event CHURCHILL DOWNS. Louisville, Ky ..May 5.— Before the Kentucky Derby, most everybody in America analyzed the race, it .seems, and the more you analyzed, , . ? * the the more more one one was was forced forced to to the the * the the more more one one was was forced forced to to the the conclusion that any way you cut it, wet or dry. fast or holding, it all returned inevitably and inescapably to "the proposition of beat Tim Tam and take the pot. So, on the theory that if you cant beat em, join em, Tim Tam was a solid consensus, pick before the race, was_ the chalk favorite, but the public bet on three horses in the Derby. Tim Tam, of course, but but Jewels Jewels Reward Reward and and Silky Silky Bft_±iKjM but but Jewels Jewels Reward Reward and and Silky Silky Sullivan as welL Jewels Reward did finish fourth over a, track which he was supposed to be superior, but poor old Silk, while far closer than usual in the early » part of it, simply didnt have a run for the stretch. Matter of fact, he was close enough from the head of the stretch but when Shoemaker asked him to move, he simply could not improve his position. Well, Silky Sullivan Was great fun .while he lasted, set the, whole American public on its figurative, but I guess his connections dreams of eastern grandeur have faded, They have . decided to give him pne more chance in the Preakness, and if he doesnt show to advantage in Maryland,, he no doubt will be back at Hollywood Park later in the season. Well, the folks out home love him, and even if he isnt a champ, he has done a lot for horse racing. Valenzuela Fits Tom Fool Colt Well As Jimmr Jones told us the other day, a comment which we printed Monday jockey, Ismael Valenzuela is the TYPE of rider which fits a horse like, Tim Tam perfectly, being a California type rider and knowing enough to get out of the gate and get a position. He did just that, but once he got a. position, he had .sense enough to sit stUT. and wait .until! -the, head "of the stretch and well straightened out before making his big drive. The tiling that we noticed about his ride the most was that it was gradual, growing slowly in spirit, and relentless at, the end. It was a flawless performance, and as Charlie WhiUingham, whose Gone Fishin also ran; puts it. "If Ismael, or Milo, as. they call him, could adjust himself to life off, the race track just a little bit better, he could easily become- the greatest rider of our times. Or at least as great as any. I had him around the barn for a long time, and at racing, he is smart as a whip." - . » - Churchill Downs had phenomenal good luck with its weather, for in the- face of predictions of showers, arid e.ven possible thundershowers it turned but- a pleasant day, and by post time "for the Derby,* sunny. But the track was slick and slippery and a bit holding . and uncertain of footing all at the same time if you can imagine such a combination of circumstances. How- ■ ever, it is just as fair for one as another, and such a track put an extra premium upon gameiiess. And! Tim Tam is game, its hard to say after the Derby whether this is a year a cut above average or just an average season for the sophomore crop, and perhaps it will take, more racing to bring out the point, one way or the other. But even if not a vintage year, Tim Tam" . would be a mighty useful horse to have around in anjr year, jffcr. better than an empty stall. Jimmy, inci; dentally, rated him as the third best prospect in the crop when he made his annual inspection of yearlings in early fall at Calumet. His No. 1 rating was Ken- tucky Pride. To get back, to Silky Sullivan, for a .moment,, we for one. are not goingto condemn him. on the. basis of his Derby showing. The- effort simply was too poor to; be . true, and moreover, watching "him closely, we noticed that he never was able to "shift gears," which he.must do "to bring his stretch run into effect. Therefore, the race must be utterly disregarded and a final appraisal of the. Silky Sullivan quality made on the basis of . further performance. -When- a race is too poor to- be true, you must either toss it out completely, or look for something 4,hat might be ailing the horse that maybe * hasnt come to light. . , Estimate Biggest TV Audience Ever "An early estimate .indicates that in all probability, more people than ever, before saw the Derby on tele- -vision.", advises Ed Wilhelm. New, Yorker who handles the Gillette-sports account; "We hit new territory this i Derby Day by extending into tlie maritime provinces of Canada, but we, have run put of expansion areas in theUnited.States.. Ourlcountry is saturated. To be specific, we purchased, time. ,on: 193 TV stations in the United States, and 26. in Canada. On radio, we had 200 stations in, the United States. 50 in Canada, and one. . overseas in Honolulu." « * We asked Wllhelm if £ global telecast of the Derby , was in the prospect in the not too distant future, and* he answered, "Well, if you think it is, significant, our contract with Churchill Downs calls for world rights. And Gen. David Sarnoff chief of NBC said something a while, back about Transatlantic TV being maybe around the corner.. While I cant speak for that far ahead, I can say that we have had tentative discussions about expanding telecasts of certain sports events to Europe, and when the facilities are available, well be ready. * - , "Of course, to. consider a global .telecast, the Derby , would get racing preference. It far outdraws any other race in America in the way. of viewers and we feet the " -- - Continiitd on Page FHty-FIre * I BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page F/re tremendous promotional job of Churchill Downs with its Derby gets us lookers who are definitely non-race people. And surprisingly enough, the growing eustom around the country of tossing a Kentucky Derby Party, with a julep or so adjacent to the television set. has boosted our percentage share of the TV audience. If you cant be at the Derby in person, it seems the next best thing is to invite in a few, or maybe many, friends and get the running on TV, with spice added by making up a friendly pool on the race." Eugene Mori, who skipped the opening of his track at Garden State to "take in the Derby," explained his presence, saying, "The Kentucky Derby is the greatest thing in horse racing, yes, even bigger than our Garden State. Moreover, you can meet more old friends In a shorter space of time at the Derby than anywhere else in America. Attendance at the Derby is a must, if at all possible, for a race track executive." Mori didnt say so flatly, but we gathered from his conversation that the Derby exemplified, in its most dramatic form, what the prestige stake race can do for all racing. Its impact benefits all racing, down to the lowliest plater. It ties in with the observation, so bluntly put by Wilhelm that the Derby can evoke the interest, even though it may be in some cases only fleeting, of all America. No other race has done such a job so well and of such magnitude.
