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JOCKEY SAM BOULMETIS 4 Boulmetis Has His First Derby Mount Was 19 Years Old When He Decided to Become Jockey; Has Been Riding 11 Years By HERB GOLDSTEIN Staff Correspondent Stepinthedark was a cheap gelding with little past and no future, but to Sammy Boulmetis he ranks with such as Palestinian, Helioscope, Errard King and Vertex. For that honest old plater was the horse on whom "Solid Sam" broke his maiden at Garden State Park after riding 56 straight losers. That was May 10, 1949 and Sam has come a long way after that uneventful start in his riding career. The 32-year-old native of Baltimore will be astride Elkcam Stabls Atoll in todays Kentucky Derby and it will be the first time he has ever had a mount in the "Run for the Roses." However, the importance of the event, the size of the crowd and the pressure should have little or no effect on Sam. That "solid" tag is no idle newspaper phrase, for Boulmetis is indeed, a rugged little man with a mature outlook on riding horjes for money. Held in High Regard He holds much the same respect as that enjoyed by Ted Atkinson during his long and brilliant career; a rider who goes all out with every mount no matter what the size of the pot. Boulmetis was an "old man" when he came to the race track in search of a job as a rider, being all of 19 and the holder of a high school diploma. The average young man seeking fame and riches on horseback usually finishes his education in some stable area. "I was working in Baltimore as a printers devil," Boulmetis recalls," and everyone was always making fun of me because I was so short. After awhile I decided to see if I could make something out of my size and I though of being a rider. When I told my mother of my plans she was frantic. My father thought Id better get it out of my system while I was still young and I landed a job with Fred Hannon at Laurel. "When I started in racing," he continues, "there was no easy way to the top. I didnt get to ride a horse in a race for another two years. I mucked out stalls, rubbed horses, walked hots and slept right in the barn and did everything that came along. When I finally started to have some success later on, I appreciated it more because of those first two years. High School Graduate "That high school diploma helped, too. I think I was mature enough to understand the training I was getting. Too many kids come out here at 16 and want to be riding in 00,000 races at 17. It just cant be done if you want to last for awhile." When Hannon disposed of his stable, Boulmetis switched to the E. W. King stable and after his initial success joined the Samuel D. Riddle establishment. He remained with the old gentlemen, famed as f "I the owner of Man o War and War Admiral among others, until he died. He has been free lancing ever since. In 1955 Sam ride 81 winners during the Monmouth Park meeting, a staggering total which is not likely to be touched for many years, if ever. Palestinian is one of his favorite mounts and he remembers racing the wonderful "cripple" with bowed tendons to several notable scores. He has been aboard Vertex in all of his stakes victories and contends that no horse, given reasonable weight assignments, can beat him at Jamaica. "He just loves that track," he says. Boulmetis doesnt lose that "Solid" tag once he dresses and leaves the course. He owns a 101 -acre farm about 70 miles from Monmouth which he leases to a tenant and a handsome home at Erlton, N. J., near Garden State Park. He is the father of three children, Susan, six and a half, Jane and Sam Jr. Jane will be five in June and Sam three the same month. Sa*n Sr. would like to give the kids the Triple Crown for a present.
