Evening star., 1932-08-05
17-YEAR-OLD BOY
IS NATURAL RIDER
Has Impressive Record and
Has Earned Much Coin
in Two Seasons.
BY JOHN P. CARMICHAEL.

- HICAGO, August 5.-Silvio
Coucci, with the uncon-
" scious swagger of a little
man, but with the heart
and ambition of boy, just waits
for track time each day. AS long
as he can remember-and at II
his memory is pretty clear
Coucci has loved horses. He has
always been around them.
In the early days of grade school in
New York the little Italian boy spent
all his spare time hanging around any
thing that resembled a horse.
Il guess I was just born that way"
thony, was a jockey. He got me work
with a fellow called Slim Moore, who
had four horses at Jamaica, N. Y"
After two MONTH with Moore, Coucci
got a break. His boss came to him
one day and told him he had fixed it
up for the youngster to work for John
A. Coburn, who had a string of Is good
platers. Was he tickled?
Coucci got his first chance to ride
aboard a horse called Miss Swarthmore
at Belmont Parks Spring meeting in
1881.
Il don't remember how many horses
were in that race" he chortled, but I
chased most of EN- home. But what
did care? I was riding, wasn't I?
got by
FINALLY came the Fall meeting at
J. Jamaica and horse called Johnny,
owned by CobuTn. Coucci was up,
with the admonit'on that this was
"live one" and to step on it" Coucci
did.
Il won" he said simply, "by a nose
In the last jump"
At last Coucci had come home on
top. He came right back in the second
race to win for Coburn on Morheart,
kicking this one home four lengths in
front at to l. Two in row! Coucci
was "hot"
He got hotter out at Cahente last
year. He rode IS winners out Of 300
mounts and captured jockey honors
from Glenn Smith by wide margin.
When the meeting ebbed at Caliente,
the Coburn stable and Coucci headed
East. Coucci had made himself
reputation. His contract was sold to
Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney for $4,000.
~OF COURSE, make more money
~ now" Coucci said. But that
comes as extra. My contract
with Mr. Coburn called for $50 a
month and as far as the contract is
concerned, it still reads that way. I
draw my thirty cartwheels every thirty
days. The contract was purchased just
as it stood. OF course, there's my out
side mounts, when I'm not riding for
Mrs. whitney. Naturally I get paid
for that, and I'm kept pretty busy"
During the Spring season at Jamaica,
Coucci accepted As mounts, winning
with q dozen and driving another
dozen in the money, eight OF 'em IN
No position.
from there he went to Belmont, |
where he rode II winners, y Sec
ondS and II thirds In 81 races. At
Aqueduct he was up on 10 horses Of
variegated quality and got 49 OF them |
and IS thirds He stopped of at En-
pire long enough to land 2 winners
mounts, and then came West. At Ar !
hngton he has won about IA races in |
fewer than so mounts, and has finished |
second 10 times and third the same
number of times.
TN the interval he hopped out to
i Washington Park at the behest of
M. S. Schwartz, who had 3-year-
old, Gusto, in the American Derby.
Coucci had never ridden Gusto before,
but he rode him to q smashing victory
that day.
Coucci went back East after the
Derby, but when the Arlington Classic |
came along what could be more to Mr.. |
SchwartZ's desire than to have the dy- |
manic little italian in the saddle again? |
Once more the pair clicked, with the |
same ease as before. Coucci was estab- |
lished He was a big-time rider.
Horses like GuSto make Couccis eyes |
dilate to saucer size and they burn with |
the light of adventure. He gets thrill |
even out of talking about them.
When horse like Gusto wants to
run, just take him out where there is
plenty of room and turn him loose" is
the kids riding code. You won't make |
q mistake giving his kind race space. |
He'll eat up the lost lengths quick
enough If he has room to stretch his
legs. I like TO be near the top, so l