Evening star., 1955-08-21
Swaps Beats Traffic Judge,
Equals American Turf Mark
Slaves Off Lute
Rush by Rivul in
American Derby


fornia's sensational Swaps, lead.
ing all the way but never BY
more than two or three lengths,
held on gallantly today to win
by about a length over the
fast-closing Trafiic Judge in the
'$i46,425 American Derby. at
Washington Park.
Rex. c. EllsWorth's chestnut
colt, making his first start on .
grass course, covered the mfie
and three -sixteenths In the re-
cord-matching time Of 1:54ss. It
|equalled the American turf mark
recently set by Platan in the
Arlington Handicap, and clipped
one-fifth of a second of Vol.
canic's Washington Park record.
But possibly such q time would
not have been accomplished had
not Jockey Willie Shoemaker,
coming nonchalantly up to the
sixteenth pole, glanced over his
shoulder and seen Traffic Judge
bearing down on him just as he
had on Nashua in the Arlington
Classic July 16. Shoemaker then
went to the whip and Swaps re-
sponded to sew up his eighth
straight triumph as q 3-year-
Iold.
Minus Pool Caused
The race was witnessed by 25,.
I178 fans who sweltered in 05-
degree weather. There were two
brief showers shortly before post
time.
Trafic Judge. owned by Cliff
ford Mooers and ridden by o
substitute jockey, Pete Anderson,
ran the same kind Of race he
did against Nashua at Arlington.
In that mile race. Traffic Judge,
in q great stretch drive. nearly
caught Nashua and failed by
only one-half a length. Today's
race was TRAFFIC Judges first on
grass, too.
Swaps triumph added even
more luster to his 500. 900 win
Iner-take-all match race at
Washington Park on August 81
against Nashua. whose only de-
feat was by the Khaled-Iron Re-
ward colt In the Kentucky Derby.
Swaps paid $2.40 and $2.20 to
those who backed him as o
1-to-5 choice. Traffic Judge re-
turned $500 to place. There was
no show betting and there was q
minus place pool Of 1888.
The California colt, packing
1875 pounds and conceding from
z to 13 to his five rivals In the
field. ran brilliantly from the
start and received his first real
challenge midway in the stretch
from Mrs. Harvey C. Fruehauf's
Paradox, ridden by Willie Har-
tack. Paradox finished third,
four lengths behind Traffic
Judge, while Hasty House Farms
Summer Solstice was fourth, an
other length and q half oehind.
The victory swelled Swaps
winnings by $89, 900, giving him
a total Of $418,550 as a sopho-
more and $439, 500 in two years
OF campaigning. His two-year
record shows II victories and
two third places in II starts. He
won his last race as q 2-year-old.
so now he has q streak Of nine
victories going.
Takes Lead at Once
Swaps. leaping to the front Al
the gate was sprung, went into
the clubhouse turn with a two.
length lead over Paradox. The
latter was a length and q half
behind with six furlongs to 20
and only a length behind at the
far turn as Summer Solstice also
came up to challenge.
But on the stretch turn Swans
turned on the speed and widened
the gap to az lengths only TO
have Paradox close in at the ton
OF the stretch with Summer Soils
tice also making q move.
Then, again the willy Shoe
maker. who is battling Hartack
Tor national Jockey honors.
called upon Swaps and he burst
ahead by az lengths. Swaps con-
tinued to widen the advantage
after entering the last furlong.
but suddenly Traffic Judge came
barreling along and looked as
though he might pass Swaps
until Shoemaker looked behind
him and tipped his mount with
the whip.
Fifth place went w L Ranch's
Honeys Alibi, a length behind
Summer Solstice. while Mrs,
Harry L. Nathenson's Ambiguous
was last. seven lengths further
back.