The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-01
RACING NOTES

The current precedent for street
car race meetings" was set BY the
United States ArEnyl Last Autumn
when the cast OF This Is the Army
arrived In Baltimore for o one week
stand, the Maryland Jockey club ins
vited them out for on afternoon at
old Pimlico. Fine, said the soldier.
actors, but how are We going to get
out there2 They were willing 10
march out. O distance OF i've miles,
but II was their day OK and q ride
would DO pleasanter. Then the
transit company stepped In and said
they would supply aS many cars o.
necessary TO transport the boys 10
the track. That trip, reported by a
civilian who accompanied the SOL
diers, was probably the livelieSt
street.car ride ever taken In the city
Of Baltimore. Most OF the singing
and dancing talent OF the Army'H
own vaudeville troupe was aboard
the Btreamiined car and Oh Il
whizzcd along the narrow streets Of
the city and veerod craNly around
the innumerable turns peculiar u
Baltimore the strains OF "'rhis II
The Army, Mr.. Jones" and ~ Left
MY Heart At The Stage Door Gan.
teen" waited out the windows and
gave O warm glow 10 the familiar
white front.Steps Of the town. Com.
Ing home after tho races there Wal
noticeable division among those who
wanted TO sing and those who didn't
II could have been that difference
OF opinion" which someone once said
makes horse racing.
Uncle Sam dropped In q claim
for o jockey the other day but
he sure got more than the
equivalent OF q claiming platter
for Alfred Robertson, tho young
man caught In tho selectiVe
service, Is for and away one OF
the best riders ever seen on the
American turf. Robbie" Is one
OF the real veteran riders; he
> has o great and consistent rec.
ord because he believed his pro.
fession required the training
and disciplining OF himself as
much as q rigorous training rou.
tine for the horses he rides. Per.
hapS the greatest day In the life
OF this youngstey, excepting
those which he Is sure to have
In the Army, was October 0,
i04i when he won six out OF
seven races at Jamaica. In.
swapping racking silks for the
olive drab OF the military serv-
Ice Robbie" pledges his com.
plete allegiance to the United
States for he Is a native OF
Aberdeen, Scotland and came to
this country as q youngster.
Somehow or other 1t Is Just as
we'll that he Is joining UP with
Uncle Sam since 1t would be
hard for many Of his admirers
TO picture him In the kits Of
his native country although In
any uniform, jockey silks or bat.
tie dress Of the Scots, he Is a
true Lady From Hell. To be q
good jockey, the kind Robbie"
proved to be time and again,
one must have the courage and
daring of the famed Scots fight
ers.
Here's an item about O man who
went all the way to the North
African war front only TO learn
among other things, that he Is
nothing more than one-twelfth Of
q horse. The man Is Ernie Pyle
foreign correspondent for the
Scripps-Howard Newspapers. The
informer Is Private Henry r
cBeans') Riley, late Of Pawhuska
Oklahoma. former jockey and lead
ing rider In 1890 with 1877 winners
The story: In the course OF bis re-
portorial wanderings correspondent
Pyle was taken with an attack Of
African flu and Immediately hospi-
talized by his Army friends. In the
process Of his cure Private Riley
appeared with an inhaling APP
paratus ready to clear Pyle's lungs
of the bothersome germs which were
keeping him confined. The natural
inquisltiyeness OF Correspondent
Pyle brought to light the fact that
Private Jockey Riley had quit rid.
ing In 1888 when his weight hit -
pounds, 80 he turned his attention
10 veterinarian work around the racs
tracks. The horse.doctor angle In
trigued the 9cripps. Howard mar
and he politely implied the incon'
sistency OF II TO Riley who w0ulc
have none OF II. "DoctoEing peopls
and horses Is exactly the same" Salt
Beans" Riley, except sou give {
horse from ~ 70 10 times as much
There's a difference Of opinion
some SOS "a. some say 70. al'
ways hold 10 ~ myself. 70 be on TN
safe alfa" " anv event the treat