Evening star., 1952-05-06


others Longdens record ought to this isn't entirely
No jockey wins 1000 front-runners alone
Notwithstanding prodgious feats dating years back
den critics adamant how pointed up
by the fact that 1888 when
brought home 236 leading Jockey the
country repeated 947 and 1s4S to
the only rider to win three national championships
IN 1943 LONGDEN Count victory the Ken
lucky Derby He won the Preaknes the Belmont the
Memorial the Whers owners and trainers of sckout
Whrlaway Styme Thumbs Up On Trust Busher With
Regards First Fiddle and lot of oher-there great
fault to be found with the veteran who was born
Tingley- Wakefield, England.
Two years 1rsh-bred horse came on
the American racing Longden rider Probably
1t was the little mans handling of Moor that did
anything to dspe the notion stubborn that he lacked
the master touch at rating horses
There for instance day Johnny in the
100000 Gold Cup at Hollywood
had to beat Hill Prince with up Palestinan Next
Move Ponder, Great Circle On Trust and Assault
the lead fine horse after another b ongden
put Moor across one-lengh winner His time 159-a
Moor horse that needed get him out in
front and merely put demands his stamina
with all the better horses Moor could behind w
provided he got intelligent rating.
ONE LoNGDENs great races came in 1e5o-and riding
Noor too-n the Santa Anita Handicap
was Citation and two days before the big Johnny
thrown in routine knee ankle painfully
swollen.
At Longdens age-approximately time-ahletes
normally don't bounce back in hurry Johnny required
tte ePne took noVocane injections to dull the panbut
he rode And he
later and Citation met again in the $50 600
San Juan Capsrano at mile and quarters beat
the great Calumet horse again. Significantly at least for
purposes OF this piece Moor from behind Longden
riding.
Actually there telling how many Longden has
won His near4OOO total official victories on
major tracks Long ago. the little fellows wins on "bush
circuits in the United States
passed the 1000 mark
LoNGDEN HIMSELF CAN'T estimate the number of races
he's won much less the number he's ridden the times
miles he's spent the horse AS shaver of in
Taber in the Province of Alberta Canada, Johnny
first horse. At the age of IL, he horse.
Not that he wealthy On the contrary, Johnny was
one of eight children of British MINER man who
migrated Canada to living doing the same UNDERGROUND
work. Longden bought his first horse rounded
stray livestock in Taber for neighbors for 81 month
had saved $40, he owned plug called Mac.
Since that time the little fellow horsees valued
In the millions At 15 he riding fairs He also
rode in boxcars And he htchhked bush meet to
another, hoping to get mount for coffee and
Longden had been riding for years professional
still was relatively unknown although he approximately
as old or older than such famous contemporaries Johnny
Gilbert Jack Westrope Basil Johnny Adams When
he finally hit the bigtime Johnny did it with flourish
PROBABLY IF LoNGDEN were available for interview at
the moment he would list among great thrills victory in
the fifth race at Hollywood Park November It wasn't
much of anybody Johnny and to the trainer
Vance Longden.
Vance freshly licensed trainer Vance furthermore
was the Of Johnny It the who bought
for the boy the horse something Kit Carson He rode
his boys horse to the first win of Kit career
That than two years ago. Vance Longden still is
trainer although obscured by many others But the old
man. Jonnny riding after nearly 80 years. making history
and moreover running out of critics say great
Jockey.