Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-27
WIN, LOSE OR
HNAV By FRANCIS sTANN


MIAMI Feb T-The colt called Needles hardly had
returned to the winners circle after the $48800 Famngo
Stakes last Saturday at Haleah when the critics went to
work One named Career Boy taking life easy South
Carolina farm could have beaten Needles and anything else
that four legs and is not older than three
they were saying.
WE'LL that remains SEEN Regardless Of the caliber
Of the Flamngo field Needles was running colt and he
winning event that such Citation and Lawrin
used springboard to the Kentucky Derby Citation
all the wayFamingo Derby Preakness and Belmont
Boy munching his oats in South Carolina
could guarantee that last Saturday he could have licked
Needles
too bad that an obsolete Florida State Racing
mission regulation which gave Needles 5-pound weight
advantage enforced Needles bred at Ocaa carried
Dave Erb whatever lead necessary make 1T pounds
while the rest, -Foridans packed 1922 There
critics who felt this too expensive gesture toward
improving the Florida breed and that Needles also had
born 22 pounds he would not have by that decisive
margin of two and three-quarters lengths
HERE IT LOOKED if Needles required no ad-
vantageous treatment. He like good colt should,
picking his racing In large field and scoring in the
like his daddy Ponder did in the 1s49 Kentucky
Derby 1t is to be doubted the weight concession was
major factor
So much for the colt More interesting perhaps are
his and his trainer Hugh Fontaine The colors
by Jockey Erb-orange with blue trimming not
exactly familiar Indeed, the DEH Stable about to
close down. out of Illustration than lack OF money
when Needles was bought.
D&H stands for Jackson N Dudley and B. M. tBonnie
Heath, pair of young men Dudley A. Heath 39l who
living boat tied up at Fort Lauderdale at the
time they met Trainer Fontaine
Each is story in himself Dudley originally Texan,
rode in rodeos Heath graduated from Oklahoma AM and
became oil engineer Then he went of his struck
gusher his 26th birthday and tied with Dudley who
had been drler They have been partners since
relationship somewhat similar to that between Meshach
Tenney and Rex Ellsworth the punching duo that ame
out of the West and introduced Swaps to Eastern racing
folks
THESE TWo-DUDLEY and Heath--have been active in
racing only three years and probably there would have
DH Stable had highly interesting character named
Fontane crossed their trails This guy-Hugh Fonaine
almost has to be seen to- be believed
He youngster but, the contrary, gimpy legged
guy who flew apane for the Signal Corps In World War
having wingman the redoubtabe Eddie Rckenbacker
Fontaine is amboyant old gaer nearly always smiling,
and is addicted to wearing owery tropical type hats with
5-inch brms He walks with decided limp but aid
toward mobility he carries llelagh he picked
In Ireland
Fontaine has been just about everything including rich
and He played poo for instance and this led to train
ing horses in fashion No hand Fontane trained for
W. Coe and saddled among Others pretty good horse
named Ladysma who beat Equpoise in the 1884 Suburban
THEN CAME A STINT for Brookmeade Stable and a
period bright and otherwise horse broker and yacht
broker Twin drops in health and finances notwithstanding
conved to maintain boat Of modest dimensions
and what with his craft tied at Fort Lauderdae he met
the or less seagong partners Dudley and Heath
They had the dough and Fontaine the know-h how but
nothing spectacular happened until the DOH paid
named Needles morning at sale in the
Hialeah paddock and turned him to the old hyboy
Then everything broke loose Needles, ckly thing,
than his share of 2year-od and now after
the Flamngo he apparently is the to beat In the up
coming Florida Derby and the other exclusive runs
Needles the horse of this young and you'd have to
say that now Fontane is the trainer Of So for the
two you'd have to they'll stick around for
few months, at least
I. 4