Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-03
ATCHISON'S
ANGLE
BY LEWIS r. ATcHIsoN

wv 8Mi
Steve Brooks may not be II
a class by himself. but it's ex.
elusive enough, with only eight
members. counting Sir Gordon
Richards of England. Brooksie
If you don't patronize racing
is a jockey. and Tuesday he
accomplished the rare feat Of
booting home his 3.000th win
ner aboard the 2-year-old
Tempest Tossed in the third
race at Gulfstream Park.
In a sport fraught with such
dangers as spills, suspensions
and bullying waistlines. 5000
winners is akin to 5000 hits
in the big leagues. You've got
to be good. but also lucky.
The SO year old Brooks
needed almost 20 years to hit
the magic figure. despite an
ideal riding physique and an
early indoctrination in the fine
art of handling frisky horses.
Through Tuesday he had rid
den 1917 races and had I'm
ished in the money 5000 times,
record Of which any rider
could be proud.
\ ~
We met Brooks at National
Airport the Saturday night of
May 7. l949, probably the most
memorable Saturday night in
his life. for he had just arrived
from Louisville. where he had
ridden Calumet Farms Ponder
to an upset victory in the Ken
lucky Derby. That was one of
those real-life movie stories, for
Brooks was an eleventh-hour
riding choice and never laid
eyes on Ponder before Trainer
Ben Jones boosted him into the
saddle.
Brooks was still in a whirl
when we grabbed him for q
quick interview. He didn't re.
member what Jones said after
the race-if he said anything
and Steve hadn't even bothered
to figure out what his 10 pei
cent Of the winners purse Of
$9l 800 would be.
Mrs. Brooks was along, still
carrying some of the roses pre-.
sented in the winners circl,
after the Derby, and we got {
couple of them. She onl.
wanted to save one to bt
pressed into her memory book
Ponder was in the Derby onl,
because the late Warner
Wright. master Of Calumet
wanted to see his colors in TIL
diamond jubilee running Of tn
classic. Jones dismissed him a
"a cheap" horse. and scoffec
when someone mentioned tina
Ponder had worked half-mil'
in IS seconds.
He couldn't run a half-mil,
in IS seconds downhill on I
tin roof" Jones said.
The Derby was Ponder's 1871
race. and he'd earned only
$3.50 in the IL previous tries
which included three victories
Plainly. it seemed that Pondel
and Brooks were going for {
canter only because the Dos,
said so.
Ponder also ran like Silk,
Sullivan. He was OF last in thu
field Of II. still trailed at thu
half-mile pole and was sixth
when they turned into the
stretch. But at that point hi
was winging and Brooks. q
good whip.rider, was swinging
But the crowd. including thu
track announcer. was so en-.
thralled by the stretch duel be.
tween PaleStinian and Capo
it paid no attention to the on.
coming Ponder. The Calumet
colt won by three lengths but
didn't get a call from start Il
| finish.
Brooks had more thrills In
store for him. He rode Citation
the day he won the 1881 Holly.
wood Gold Cup to be the first
horse to win 81 million il
purses. He booted home 81,
winners in one day in 1948 al
Churchill Downs. rode five win.
ners on one card on severa
occasions. along with innum.
cradle four-winner days.
Steve might have been thu
Nations leading rider in l947
when he was the pacemakel
with 285 winners by mid-Nov.
ember. He was riding at Bowie
at the time. and. as 1t will some.
times at Bowie, 1t got cold, SC
Stevie took a vacation. Johnny
Longden kept riding in Cali
fornia and Mexico and passed
him to take the crown with
3l6 winners.
In 1949 Brooks was the lead
ing money-winning rider with
purses totaling $1,3l6.8l7. ano
just two years ago he was close
to the million mark again with
$919.6l7. No doubt about it
the guy is q valuable asset tc
any stable.
4
Brooks is a little giant among
the jockeys. He stands 4-feet.