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Derby Victory a Dream to Norris Easy Spur Carries 4 Sportsmans Silks Multi-Millionaire Once Before Had Hopeful, But Jamie K. Didnt Reach Post By BARNEY NAGLER LOUISVILLE, Ky.. May 1.— When James Dougan Norris was 20, he made a dollar or two in the market. He was a big, handsome kid at the time, 32 years ago, and he was marked by a touch of class. His father, James Norris, was marked by money. Young Jim was on his own, however, and he put some of his profit into horses. He has been around jver since. The young mans first acquisitions were two fillies — Red Cross Sister and Austerlitz — both trained by Eddie Hayward in the colors of Peconic Stable. Norris chose Peconic as his barn handle because his dad owned a gem of an estate overlooking Peconic Bay at Mattituck, L. I. Heart Strong; Hopes High He has come a long way since then. He counts his assets in plural millions. He is co-owner with Arthur Wirtz of the Chicago Stadium and the Chicago Black Hawks. He has interests in grain, ships, railroads; at least one hotel. National Boxing Enterprises, Inc., is one of his holdings. Until the International Boxing Club was sundered by federal court order as a monopoly in restraint of trade. Norris not only ran it, but owned, with Wirtz, controlling interest in Madison Square Garden. And he owns Spring Hill Farm — successor to j Peconic Stable. He also owns a three-year-old, bay gelding called Easy Spur. This day, his prime aspiration is victory in the Kentucky Derby. Norriss stable is no longer known as Peconic. He took the name of Spring Hill Farm some years ago when he purchased green, rolling land then quite a way from the urban limits of Paris. Ky., and it is under this cognomen that Easy Spur may smell the roses today. Norris will be at Louisville, of late, he has been bothered by a cardiac condition. Today, his heart is strong; his hopes high. "This is the thing a man dreams about if hes in racing," Norris said before leaving Coral Gables, Fla., for the cupola-marked course in Kentucky. "Just to have a horse in the Derby is something. To win is a dream." Once before, Norris had a Derby hopeful — a long-running, strong horse called Jamie K, but he never went to the Derby because of a bad race in the Wood Memorial. That was 1953. Now there is Easy Spur. "This ic homebred," Norris said of Easy Spur, who is by Crowfoot out of Easy Reeling. "You know, maybe Ive made a mistake in breeding. Could be I should have gone into those big breeding syndicates to obtain the services of outstanding sires, but this is the way Ive done it. Maybe, if I live long enough, Ill get into one of those Norris is a man moved by doubt. He is a big, strong gentleman, yet he is not given to throwing his weight around. He is a man of calm disposition and firm opinions. Continued on Page 15 0 t i Easy Spur Carries Dream of Norris Multi-Millionaire Once Before Had Hopeful, But Jamie K. Didnt Reach Post Continued from Page 13 D He is polite to a fault, sensitive to the feeling of lesser folk around him. When he was president of the International Boxing Club, Norris frequently held press conferences in his office in Madison Square Garden. He never failed to arise from his chair to greet even the least important journalists in attendance. And he knows how to laugh at himself. Once, when a hireling at the Garden had the curtains in Norris office freshly laundered, the landlord was moved to laughter. "Hell, when I was in prep school, every time my mother had the curtains in my room laundered, I was bounced the next week,** he confessed. Another time, a worker in Norris office insisted on being permitted into the inner sanctum a day before New Years Eve. Finally, he was granted an audience. "I want to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year," the worker said to his millionaire boss. Norris laughed. Norris is not easily separated from large or slender portions of his riches, yet he I » . has always been a soft touch for men in boxing. Recently, a friend called him at his home at Coral Gables, and Norris listened to the callers tale. All that was needed was a favor. "Cant we talk about it now?" Jim said. "I can only tell you, Jim, that its not a touch." "I was hoping it was," Norris said, "because thats easy." These days, Norris spends most of his days at Coral Gables. His wife, Mary, and their young daughter share his enthusiasm for horses. The girl, adept on a horse, has won an assortment of blue ribbons in shows. He is sentimental about her ability in dressage. Easy Spurs owner not only has his Kentucky farm, but another about six miles from his home at Coral Gables. He also has his fathers mansion at Mattituck; an apartment in Chicago, another in New York. His home in Coral Gables, on Granada Boulevard, is a rambling building of ranch-type architecture. It is complete with swimming pool. A canal runs in back of the house. Of late, Norris has become an avid boatman. Recently, on a run to Nassau, he encountered a fierce storm. "I wasnt worried," Norris said, "but Arthur Wirtz was. Hes rich. Hes got a lot to lose. I havent." Off the main entrance hall in Norris* home at Coral Gables there is a powder room. It is tastily outfitted. The walls of the powder room are papered in pink. The wallpaper is covered by reproductions of form charts from Daily Racing Form.
