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► ,__________-____ _- -. — JACK HOGAN— Chicagoans Die Hard will try to upset the fancied ones in todays Derby. — Chicagoan Jack Hogan Holds High Hopes for His Die Hard Points Out Son of Epsom 1 ► Derby Victor Beat Finnegan, Other Good Ones at Anita CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 1. — Jacnot stables Die Hard, a brown son of the Epsom Derby winner, Never Say Die, has spent most of his competitive life chasing the best members of his age group. Saturday, owner Jack Hogan, trainer Joe Bollero and jockey John Sellers have hopes that the colt will be able to turn the tables on his Derby rivals. Sword Dancer, Tomy Lee, Silver Spoon and Finnegan have accounted for recent races in which Die Hard ran out of the money. The Jacnot colorbearers best effort in recent months was a second to Hoist Away in an allowance race at Keene-land. Hogan, president of the United Insurance Company of America, which has its main offices in downtown Chicago, has great confidence in Die Hards potential. "We beat Finnegan and a lot of other well-regarded three-year-olds at Santa Anita," Hogan says, "and our horse has been blossoming nicely since going to Kentucky. Hes a real looker. Matter of fact, thats the reason I bought him — on his looks. He may not be the fastest horse in the Derby, but you can bet hes the best looking." Cost 5,000 as Yearling Mrs. J. R. H. Thouron bought Die Hard as a yearling in England for 5,000. "I was dickering for Anxious Moment and had just about completed the deal when I noticed Die Hard in an adjoining stall," says Hogan. "He caught my eye immediately and I decided he would be my horse." Hogans Jacnot breeding farm, covering 176 acres in Northeast Illinois, near Wads-worth — just below the Wisconsin state line — is regarded as one of the finest in the North. Bollero was regarded as a capable rider on the major circuits in the late 1920s and early 30s. Incidentally, he was aboard the winner of the first race ever staged at Arlington Park — on October 13, 1927. An Illinois boy from the small town of Dwight, Bollero came to the races with Johnny Connors. He rode principally for Packy McFarlands Joliet Stable. Plagued by weight problems after nine years of riding, he started to gallop horses for Bob McGarvey and Milky Way Farm, then took a few horses on his own and gradually built a public stable that eventually included the stock of Frank V. Brach. He took charge of the Jacnot horses in the spring of 1956. Sellers, a 22-year-old native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, registered his most notable victory last summer at Arlington Park when he guided Clem to victory over Round Table in the Washington Park Handicap. Sellers was under contract, for several seasons, to Harry Trotsek, trainer for Hasty House Farm. The youngsters career nearly ended in 1955 when he was thrown on opening day at Washington Park by Hasty House Farms two-year-old filly, Mary Jo Roman. The filly broke down during the race. At first, it was believed that Sellers had suffered serious skull injuries. Additional observation revealed only a slight concussion, however, and Sellers returned to competition after a rest of several weeks.
