Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-06
Needles Gets Up Fast,
Wins Derby Going Away
Continued From Page CT

Continued From Page C-l
up with less than six furlongs
to go.
Erb, a native of Grand Island,
Mich, and not .one of the big
names among the jockeys. said
he went between horses coming
around the turn into the stretch.
but had to go around others
when Needles really turned loose
all his speed. Erb. who said he
raped his mount six or seven
times going down the stretch,
estimated the horse made up at
least Is lengths in his stirring
drive.
Wins With a "SwOOsh"
So once again, the first Florida
colt ever to win the Derby went
with "swoosh," as Erb put it,
in the afternoon after refusing
to work out on occasion in the
morning.
Needles stretch run today was
the most stirring since his sire,
Ponder Earlier, Pensive, Ponder's
sire. had won in similar fashion.
Needles victory thus sets up
another combination of three
generations of Derby success.
Only Reign Count 1929. Count
Fleet (1943) and Count Turf
Q95D had achieved this pre-
viously.
Needles owners, both oilmen
with Oklahoma and Florida
backgrounds, don't need the
money too much. but their bay
colt earned $123,450 for them
by his victory. The previous
high was a year ago when the
California bred Swaps earned
$108,400 for Rex Ellsworth ano
Meshach Tenney. The gros'
purse today was $167,550, fa1
: and away the richest ever.
FOntaine's Training Upheld
The manner of his colts tri-
umph was quite a feather in the
cap of Hugh L. Fontaine, veteran
trainer, who had remained un.
perturbed in the face of criticism
of his train methods. Fontaine
a knowledgeable horSe-man o.
the old school, had advised the
two younger oil men in the pur.
o chase of Neddles for $4,000
c from William E. Leach, who i,
listed as the breeder although
! the colt was conceived at Calu-
n met Farm in Kentucky. Needle.
has now won 1882 $50 this season
. and an all-time bankroll O.
$462 ,055.
I Fontaine had insisted all alone
that the colt would be ready fol-
o the Derby, just as he was for his
/ two big Florida races. No one i:
6 going to differ with him now
and NEEDLES certainly will be 6
|, prohibitive favorit for the Freak.
ness and Belmont Stakes. If HI
= wins both. as he certainly figure.
to, he will be the ninth Triple
Crown winner.
Others Show Little
Except for Fabius, none of thu
3 colts expected to make Needle,
= step today showed anythins
much. C. v. Whitney's Career
i Boy and Head Man went off a.
o third choice at 400 to /, but
g Career Boys closing rush undel
}, Eric Guerin got him no closel
than sixth. Eddie Arcaro haC
: Head Man UP with the leader.
until the stretch, where he fall.
tered and wound up eighth.
The order of finish after tn,
y sixth-place Career Boy was M
0 Regrets, Head Man, King o
y Swords, High King, Jean Bap
tiste, Terrang, Black Emperor
/ Besomer, Invalidate, Ben A
% Jones and Countermand.
y The early pace in the race wa
a. fairly fast as the following frac
lions indicate: :234s, :47h
. 1:11a5, 1868. 2:0325. Most o
q the early speed was provided b,
% Invalidate. Terrang and Ben A
Z, Jones until they hit the back
D. stretch. Then Ben A. Jones tool
X over the lead, with Fabius clos
Is up and Head Man also in strik
9 ing position.
0 FabiuS was in front by tn,
e. time they had gone a mile, a
which point Needles and Caree
e Boy started to move from ia
: back, but Needles did it so mucl
q more decisively that it's hard t.
80 pick a 3-year-old to cope Will
" him.
n One of the top disappoint
20 mentS of the race was Counter
~ mand from the Brandywin
=. Stable of Don Ross, presiden
% of Delaware Park RreokinO from