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Maryland Breeding I By JOE B. IKCKEY JR Dr. Herb Shapes Handlers1 Lives Joe Serio Happy With Little Colt Brings Joy to Jockey Rocco Sisto BALTIMORE, Md. — The story of Dr. Herb, winner of the Maryland Derby is not a tale of a horse — but of the men behind him. Normally, a race review would be concerned with the winner, in this case Dr. Herb, and how he was developed by his handlers. But while the son of Buy and Sell — Sensme, by Roman, is a bright enough local development, the crux of his story is how he has shaped the lives of those with whom he has come in contact. This leads us to Joe Serio, Jr., who leased the colt for racing purposes when he was a yearling. Serio, born and raised in Baltimore, has touched all the bases since entering the sport as a jockey prospect in 1926. He has held a trainers license since 1938. But working for someone else was not Serios idea of independence, so in the fall of 1957 he struck out on his own. One of the initial acquisitions in the assembly of the Serio stable was Dr. Herb. The three-year-old was winning his eighth race and third stakes when he took the Maryland Derby in front-running fashion. They werent big stakes to be sure, but they were stakes, bringing a certain measure of satisfaction and folding money to the colts developer. What part does Dr. Herb play in Serios life? The trainers wife offers a clue when she says with the faintest suggestion of a smile in her voice, "The horse comes before me." AAA Dr. Herb has touched other peoples lives as well. Take the case of Rocco Sisto. There was a time when this 38-year-old veteran was considered a highly capable saddle artist, but that was a year ago. Sisto fell on hard times. Mounts werent easy to come by for an old-timer in a young mans game. He withdrew from the scene. Then along came Joe Serio and Dr. Herb. Sisto had won three straight races at Suffolk aboard Ray Brysons Abbe Pierre when Serio was training for the late Maryland sportsman. Sisto _ wasnt riding or doing much else when Serio came upon him at Bel Air last year. They teamed up and Dr. Herb put the veteran back on his feet. All that either needed was the opportuntiy to show what he could do. Joe Serio had known what a "live" horse could do for a down-on-his-luck jockey. He had been through it all too. While under contract to Bryson, Serio won his first race at Jefferson Park, New Orleans in December 1928. He rode on and off until 1934, winning about 60 races. After hanging up* his tack, Serio remained in the employ of Bryson until 1952. The association was very close, Serio even naming his one son, 21-year-old Ray, after the late Harford County sportsman. During the more than a quarter of a century he went with Bryson, Serio trained the stakes winners Abbe Pierre, Magic Stream, Make Swing, Wise Scholar, Cinda, Cis Marion, Joe Ray, Clyde Tolsen and Director J. E., among others. When Bryson and Serio parted in 1952, the latter took over the horses of A. P. Bovello and later trained the Larry Mac-Phail horses for 18 months. Then followed a summer with Charlie Lewis and two years with Charlie White. Happy to be on his own now and operating a stable of seven horses, Serios string is quartered at Pimlico. He moves on to Delaware Park, where Dr. Herb is staked for the Kent, when the Maryland season closes May 16. AAA Dr. Herb? Hes a horse you can do anything with. He has no bad habits. "If he had any size to him hed be a real race horse," says his trainer. Dr. Herb is only 14 hands high and weighs 800 pounds. The colt was named by Pat Mrs. Charlie Timanus, Mr. Brysons secretary, . for a young man, who, while working at Continued on Page Fifty-Thiee Maryland Breeding By JOE B. HICKEY Jr. Continued from Page Twe/ve Elray, aspired to be a veterinarian. Serio hadnt seen him, for some time when he showed up in the winners circle at Bowie after Dr. Herb had won the Prince Georges Stakes. Serio has worked with horses too long to build any castles in the air. "Dr- Herb is a nice horse," he says. "Well have to see what happens next. You know he ran for ,000 in his second start, so you might say hes come a long way." Dr. Herb isnt a big horse in any sense of the word but what there is of him is spread out pretty well. You wont catch Rocco Sisto selling him short. John Hernon, favorite in the Maryland Derby, finished only fifth without showing his customary late speed. "He was a little closer to the pace than usual but he had no excuses," says owner-trainer Ray Vogelman, who missed the geldings race since he had gone to Jamaica to saddle Hoosier Honey for the Bed o Roses the same afternoon. "They both came out of their races well and are at the farm eating grass now," says Vogelman. "There wasnt anything at Pimlico for either of them so I decided to give them a little grass and freshen them a bit." Both John Hernon and Hoosier Honey, the latter winner of two stakes, are bargain claims, but thats a story for another time.
