Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-25
Needles Captures Florida Derby
Closes Fast To Set Track Record
Boosts Stock
As Fuvorite

By WHEELER JOHNSON
Star stafi Correspondent

MIAMI, Fla, Mar. 24.-The
stretch running Needles came
like the wind in the last half
mile today to clip a fifth of q
second off the Gulfstream Park
track record for a mile and one
eighth and win the $145,400
Florida Derby going away, just
as he did in the Flamingo.
The convincing nature of tho
Florida bred colts triumph is
certain to make him an even
more pronounced favorite for
the Kentucky Derby, now only
six weeks away. For Needles not
only ran the mile and q furlong
in 1:48as to break a track rec
ord that had stood for more
than eight years. but he came
from dead last in the field of IA
to beat Count Chic, a West
Coast product, by three-quarters
Of a length.
Given a well-judged ride by
Jockey Dave Erb, the pride Of
Florida showed the way to Is
out-of-State interlopers in earn
ing a fat $4,000 share Of the
purse for his young owners,
jackson c. Dudley and B. M.
(Bonnie) Heath, who do their
racing in the colors of the D.
& H. Stable. This boosted to
$338,605. the purse winnings of
a colt that cost his Fort Lauder
dale owners only $4,000 when
they bought him in January,
1854.
Great Stretch Run
Needles, who broke last and
led only one rival after a quarter
OF a mile, was still ninth after
six furlongs. But he came with
a tremendous rush in the stretch
to nail Count Chic, Pintor Leo
and Golf Ace, who had been
battling for the lead inside the
eighth pole.
A length and a quarter back
Of Dino Lozzi's second-place
Count Chic, who was ridden by
Bill Boland. came Willie Har.
tack and Pintor Lea, a surprise
starter who was coupled with
Fabius as the Calumet Farm
entry.
The speedy Golf Ace, carrying
q feather Of lot pounds and
Jockey Hedley Woodhouse, man.
aged to salvage fourth place for
Winding Way Farms.
Needles victory was a popular
one with the crowd of 24,19l at
Gulfstream Park this warm.
sunny Derby Day. They sent
him away as a favorite at II to
10 and when the son Of Ponder
entered the winners circle to
pose with the huge horseshoe Of
orchids. the bay colt, Jockey Erb
and the two young owners were
given an ovation.
The crowd today was nearly
as large as the one of 24,873
that saw Nashua win this race
a year ago on a heavy track after
a rainstorm. But it was far be-
low the record 1882 who poured
out to see Nashua again in his
disappointing birthplace effort
in the Gulfstream Park Handi.
cap last Saturday.
Set Earlier Record
Needles paid his hackers $5.40.
$4.20 and $500. Count Chic re-
turned $21.10 and $11.00, while
Pintor Lea's show price was
$3.50.
Needles record for the mile
and an eighth Of the Derby
erased the 1:48h mark set by
Harmonica In 1948 and tied by
Battlefield and Admiral's Pride.
1t is not the only Gulfstream
record Needles ever broke. As
a 2-year-old, he set a track rec
ord OF .52A for four and a half
Ifurlongs. Needles fractional
lines today were %, 462s, 1:l1B,
1855 and 1:483s.
For his second place finish.
Count Chic earned $4,000 for
Lozzi. his Seattle owner. The
Calumet stable got $4,000 for
Pintor LEAFS third-place finish
and Golf Aces owners picked up
$500. The birthplace finisher,
ITellarian. ridden by Jockey P. j.
Bailey, earned $500 for the
George D. Widener establish
Iment.
AS the field got under way,
BuSher's Idol. coupled with Gun
Shot as the Maine Chance Farm
entry, took the lead under Jockey
Ted Atkinson. But at the quar-
ter. Mans Mink, ightly-regarded
hope of Natalie Lynch and rid
den by Johnny Longden, had
taken over.
Busher's Idol had dropped
back to second and Tiger Wan
der. ridden by Charley Burr was
third at this point. Needles was
Continued nm Pare C.H Col A