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» JOCKEY WAYNE CHAMBERS— Rode both ends of the 2.40 Daily Double on Saturday at Sportsmans Park. JLog of a Constantly f*Jzzm Uxaang JYlan fSr. XWy By Tom OReilly Uv"" V MGt*mmK*hB*WEty ■■ ■•-■» fHUTfRI -SAT MONDAY: Early up to a bumpy Derby plane ride, approaching Louisville in an appropriate fog. Spying my binoculars, the pretty stewardess counseled, "Californias Royal Orbit cant lose." Enjoyed Dick Maneys rich, Saturday Evening Post prose account of his drum-beating for "My Fair Lady." Quoth Broadways Richard I.: "Agitating for a flop can be as frustrating* as yodeling in an echo chamber." At Lexington, Californias Neil S. McCarthy, Fin-negans owner, came aboard. Hadnt seen him since poloists Eric Pedley, Elmer Boeseke, Cecil Smith and Rube Williams beat Tommy Hitchcock and Co. in the famed East-West matches during Chicagos Worlds Fair. At Churchill Downs found Chick Lang, Willie Hartacks agent, shopping for a Derby ride. Met Mrs. Sabath Thomas and Ed Shannon, in publicist "Brownie" Leachs office, as well as Matt Winn Williamson "talking up" the new Latonia opening. Riding the "Buck Weaver memorial elevator" to the press box. added | my stint to the copy poured on telegra-j pher Murray Rattner by Joe Hirsch, Char-| lie Hatton, Oscar Otis and Bud Lyon. Found John Carmichael, my favorite Chi-| cagoan, kicking off his 31st Derby. Started iwith Clyde Van Dusen. En route to the [Kentucky Hotel, my cabbie counseled, j "First Landing cant lose." At dinner, Izzy Goodman, retired news-dealer, now a prac-] ticing Elk, briefed me, locally : "Hilton plans a new hotel here. Mike Barry, editor jof Kentuckys Irish-American, is a nightly ■ radio hit, announcing race results. Russell Sweeneys boys ran a blind advertisement — Derby seats needed urgently. Price no object. People answering were crossed off I the Downs list." Strolled to the Brown Hotel, meeting newsmen in every block. Inter-j viewed Mrs. Liz Person, Mosbys owner. Got j history lesson on "Raider Mosby." Returning, stopped at the Statler coffee shop for tea and cheese. Listened to fellow scribes kid the Times Joe Nichols who ordered Chianti with his elegant supper, but was given Dubonnet. Ah, the rigors of travel ... so home where the elevator man said "Dunce is a cinch." AAA TUESDAY: Early up in rainy weather and my coffee shop waitress counseled, j "Easy Spur cant lose." Finishing my stint, j in the Downs press coop, noticed a horse on the track and pointed. All hands rushed outside with binoculars. Tomy Lee had just finished working. "A secret work-out, one I hour before noon," ejaculated a swearing docker. "Been rvatching that strip since 5:30 an missed him." So to own. for lunch and a nap, before returning for the Derbys split-level Trial. Heading downtown, my cabbie counseled, "Swc-d Dancer cant miss." Back at the separation center interviewed prexy Wathen Knebelkamp, who as road secretary for the Louisville colonels, picked up "a percentage complex" rooming with manager Joe McCarthy, in his pre-major league days. "The percentages are against Calumet winning three in a row. The percentages are against Arcaro winning another, etc., etc." Watched Open View and First Landing win the Trial races. In the paddock chatted with Commissioner R. L. Brewer Jr., J. B. Faulconer, Keeneland sales agent, and Mr. Tom Piatt, noted breeder. As the loud speakers announced C. V. Whitneys decsion to start Silver Spoon in the Derby, trainer Elliott Burch shook his head, gravely, remarking, "She wouldnt go if she was my filly." Watched the Trials with scribe Frank Graham. Staked out a strategic Derby perch. To town with Jack McDonald, of San Franciscos Call-Bulletin, talking shop all the way. Worked and supped in my room, the waiter advising "Open View cant miss." Then to stroll with Eddie McCann, beating the drums for Latonia. And so home to bed. * * « WEDNESDAY: Early up how did we ever stay out all night in the old days? and to the Downs "backside" in delightful weather. This cabbie counseled Troilus. "Saw him in Florida — hell breeze." Knots of writers, in city clothes, mo3d from barn to barn, like committees inspecting a zoo. Joined the gang questioning Ben and Jimmy Jones, who had voted not to start On-and-On. Those Trial races suited me fine. Eliminated five Derby horses I might have played. Watched TV-man Vince Clepham film Mrs. Jacques Braunstein, her small son, George, and Wathen Knebelkamp, at Royal Orbits stall. Said "hello" to First Landings trainer, Casey Hayes, sitting in a car and he replied, "Yes, I know. He Continued on Page Forty-Nine OReilly Weekly Log I By TOM OREILLY Continued from Page Three always runs that way. But he gets the job done an if he wins by an inch Ill be happy. Casey was spinning. Sat awhile outside Silver Spoons stall, listening to the radio with groom Don Doty and watchman Clyde Welch. A man delivered a pile of paperback books. "We swap around the barns," explained Doty. The jacket blurb on one copy, read, "Marlowe could take his ; women straight— but this blonde was crooked as a snake." Doty said "Silver Spoons comparatively quiet. Most fillies are cranky. Dont like your hands on em." Watchman Welsh cackled, with a grin, "like all women — mean . . . "Walked to the front gate for poached eggs in Jouetts track kitchen which has three cigarette machines, two cola machines and a juke box. Stood in several first turn boxes and decided my Lancaster friends will have a fair view. Crossed to the separation center for my stint. Then home to sleep until dinner time. Dined in my room the waiter said "Get rich with Tomy Lee" and worked some more. By phone, Joe Hirsch reported "Texas Dick" Andradas arrival. Remembered the year he had a cowboys trick horse open the door for visitors to his 14th floor suite. Strolled down Fourth Street, stopping in several joints to hear the entertainers. Belle and Jack Palmer have a good dance act at the Brown Hotels Blue Grass Room. Laughed, over tea, in the Statler coffee shop, at the morning paper report of r affair Booth in Congress. So home, where the elevator man said, "Our Dads the one to watch," And so to dream. AAA THURSDAY: Lay late how sweet it is . . . and after a leisurely breakfast rode to the course behind a lady hackie. She recommended Silver Spoon but kept getting in traffic jams. An omen? Met bloodstock man Pat Kelly, Pimlicos Lou Pond-field, Sonny Workman, the ex-jock and trainer Ray Metcalf gassing by the saddling i ring. Sonny, here with 18 Washington businessmen, paid to get in a race track for the first time in his life. "Wathen Knebelkamp gave me three passes," he laughed, "but they didnt go far with that crowd." Later, chatting with TRPB agents Bob Frink and Joe Korjenek, of Chicago, prexy Knebelkamp came by and told of how the late State Senator Bill Duffy, ordinarily a fine speaker, once introduced him at a dinner as a "Nathan Wobble -kamp." Lunched, did my stint, then learned that Calumets horse Jim Jones should call it "Off-and-On" will start, after all. So to town and "Brownie" Leachs press party at my hotel. Scribe Walter Haight told a good yarn but when three rivals started clamoring for the mike, I strolled down to the Ohio to see if the Mississippi packet, River Queen, had landed. It hadnt. Returned to the party and found the craps game breaking up. The winners were strangers to me. In the lobby, Toots Shor, Diamond Lee Meyers and Eddie Arcaro waved gaily as they swept by with their ladies. So with Pimlicos Charley Johnson, scribes John Steadman and Raleigh Burroughs to the Statler coffee shop for a late snack and gab before greeting sweet Morpheus. AAA I FRIDAY: Up betimes to a bed-side breakfast served by a Cuban waiter who favors Ycaza, on Rico Tesio. My stint and then mistakenly wore tweeds to the course. Met Manhattan attorney Frank Lyons in seer-sucker. On Monday, folks froze . . . lunched Stevens wonderful shad roe, again with "Life" scribe Marshall Smith. Toots Shor stopped for a moment to note, with a sigh, that Bill Corums name is on this years box tickets. Atlantic Citys Phil Baker escorted me up to "the 21 room," where Jack Kelly, Frank Fiore and other "brass," lunch, play and look-on i nexclu-sive luxury. Jack, like any other proud "Gramps," showed me his pictures of Princess Graces youngsters. Watched the oaks split between Wedlock and Hiiden Talent . . . Saw Hirsch Jacobs pretty Patrice present Kentucky Club Tobaccos Oil Capitol colt to Bill Mathews, 26-year-old St. Louis railroad clerk, who -won it with the name "Hopepharoil." Publicist Ted Woerner said, "Hell sell. Colts cost dough." To town with the TRAs John I. Day. Supped in my room, worked, then went downstairs to see the Patterson -London TV title fight. Forgot my time zones and mercifully missed all but the last round. So up to say hello in Dick Andrades suite where "Skeeter" Bill Seeman, scribe Bob Elliott, Joe Boyle and others were "doping" their Derby day bets. Bill always plays the consensus third choice in the third, which gives you an idea and so home early to bed. AAA SATURDAY: Early up to pack and meet the Strasburg Railroad Co.s private car, "Pequae Valley," in the L. and N. yards. This car — a beaut — constitutes the 4 1-2 mile roads entire rolling stock. The station porter said, "Ah lak the field," which filled my cup of Derby info. So to the course in perfect weather. Sleepy-eyed scribes, reeling from raw views of the Indianapolis fight packed the lofty press coop. "Winnipeg Scotty" Kennedy, head man at Assini-boia Downs, told of paying 37 cents for his first horse, Omars Gift, when th€ owner, having seen him leave a craps game, sold it for "the money in my pocket. Id been cleaned." Omars Gift won the Winnipeg Futurity. Did "the box bit" — "hello kunnel . . ." "Hi-ya, guy," thats half the fun. Even lovely Mrs. Frank Betty Betz McMahon called out a gay greeting and introduced her happy Canadian hubby. And now I must watch that pretty filly, Silver Spoon, tip-toe through the juleps. So endeth another week of my daze. Tra-la . . .
