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V % New England * By Fred Galiani Siravo Silks Missing as Pine Echo Performs Shelton Claimed Speedball for Future Sire Salvatore Caprio Is Colorful Jockey Agent SUFFOLK DOWNS, East Boston, Mass., May 13.— Tuesday, for the first time in his career, Pine Echo, once the fastest gate horse in America, ran inthe colors of an owner other than Eddie Siravo. Pine Echo, whose electrifying speed was a byword from New England to Florida, had been claimed last time out for a mere ,000 and was now running for one more "big one." Time has worked its normal ways on Pine Echo and the six-year-old faded from his usual early lead to wind up last. No longer does he open up eight lengths in a flash. Hes just about able to get ~to the front in the backstretch against horses he would at one time have a dozen lengths in the ruck. Luther Shelton, the midwestern horseman, is the new owner of Pine Echo. Tracked down in the barn area this morning, Shelton was queried as to why he claimed the once vaunted speedball. "Hes the fastest horse I ever saw," said Shelton, "and I took him for a stud. Ill send him down around Missouri way and Arkansas and breed him to some mares of my own and maybe use him as a quarter horse stud. Clyde Locklear and some other fellows around here want to send a couple of mares to him. You know Pine Echo was outrun from the gate only once that I know of. That was down at Tropical Park and my horse Noble Dragon did it to him in the mud. For a good half mile he was on top of Pine Echo." The son of Pinebloom will be rested now by Shelton, who will treat the horse for a growth in his nose. Shelton may bring him back in the fall, but will not run him as cheap as ,000. Perhaps the nasal ailment has been the cause of his abruptness in putting on the brakes. Even if Pine Echo never gets to the races again, Shelton figures to have made a good buy at ,000. It costs 00 to ,000 to breed to a good stud. Sheltons got a ready made one for his own broodmare band and if nothing else Pine Echo figures to sire a lot of speedballs. Quarter horse men dont have to look far for a new source of speed of course, he still has to prove himself as a sire, but if genetics mean anything speed has to be there. Pine Echo delighted local patrons for many years in his salad days and though he wasnt the best sprinter, he never failed to thrill with his tremendous opening burst of speed. Pattersons Son Sets Swim Marks Arthur Patterson, son of the jockey room custodian, made swimming history over the week end, according to the proud father who is currently busting the buttons off his chest. In the Florida State High School Swimming Championships held in St. Petersburg, young Patterson set new records for the 200 and 400-yard free style plunges, breaking the marks that he had previously set. Young Patterson swam the 200 yards in 1:59, the first time a high school kid has shaded 2:00 for the distance, and swept the 400 yard match in 4:22%. The scion of the Patterson clan swims for Coral Gables High School. — We have back with us now Salvatore Caprio, the most colorful of all jockey agents. No one knows him by his right name — hes dubbed "Wild Man." An ex-fighter of. some renown around Rhode Island. Wild Man bears a remarkable physical resemblance to Edward G. Robinson, after the latter had been battered around in one of his many gangster pictures. In addition to his agents duties, Caprio is managing and training five boys from the backstretch in the Leather Pusrfers, an amateur fight contest around Providence. One of the boys, Tiger Torres, has moved into the semi-finals -and the wild bull says he is 1-20 to make the finals. The Wild Man cut quite a swathe in his pugilistic days. This -Is a Normal Conversation? A normal conversation with the Wild Man shatters the eardrums. And we can thus sympathize with some of the motor vehicle workers in the Clearwater, Fla., office this winter. It seems that the Wild Man received a couple of citations summons for failing to have the proper license plates on his car. One day he decided to do something about it and reported to the proper authorities. The first thing a young girl did was ask him for his citation. "What citation," he replied, which in his normal voice was almost a scream. "Citation I dont have. Hes on a farm in Kentucky." A few more questions resulting in the same answers, sent the girl scurrying for some high authority. Even this representative of the sovereign State of Florida failed to get any further than the fact that Citation was in stud at Calumet. By now the place was jammed up with people trying to buy license plates and the whole thing was degenerating into a Marx Brothers scene of utter confusion. In desperate exasperation, the authority asked him, "How long have you been in Florida?" "Only a few days," replied the Wild Man, which was indeed stretching * the truth. "And you did not receive any citations?" Before Wild Man could explain again, the agent roared, "Get him out of here." As the Wild Man says, JThey took my money and I was supposed to go to the end of another line to get the plates. But I hadnt got two steps when the lady behind the counter called me. She made all those other people wait and gave me mine first. I guess they didnt want me in there any more." Superb self analysis.
