Evening star., 1960-05-10
WIN, LOSE OR
GNAV By FRANCIS sTANN
Race Horses Don't Cooperate

Way at furlongs in the Stepping Stone and then get
creamed by the horse the Kentucky Derby will
testify, horses are not highly cooperative.
The Florida Derby which wound up with Baly Ache
in front of Venetian Way; the Stepping Stone
with Bay Ache 3A lengths in 'front.' and the Kentucky
Derby with Venetian Way 3 lengths better proved
that these two horses beat each other Yet is we'll
and good that the racing picture to Pimco and
the Preakness coming up week from Saturday.
The Preakness, as Charlie Johnson, the Pimco pub
cist made haste point out after the Derby figures to
be entirely different Another distance-a mile
and hree-sixteenths against mile and quarer-and
other horses" Charles saying. Wen have Venetian
Way, BaEy Ache and Victoria Park, I'm hoping and they
were 1-2-3 in the Derby.
In the Preakness though, they'll be some others tax
ing shots at these horses Francis s. and T. ".
Lark and Idolater and Never Give In plus maybe Noble
Moor and few others. The Derby was one race, the
PreaknesS is another.
THE Ssth DERBY not the most thrilling of the
classics by any means although it began it could
be- Bay Ache couldn't steal the big lead his hackers had
expected with the withdrawal of Purple impressive
winner of the Derby Trial Venetian Way after him
pretty good although under restraint by Bill Hartack and
when they hit the into the long, seemingly endless
stretch he poured on the coal.
Not since 1884, the year of another surprise winner
named Count Turf has there been such daylight Count
Turf took out the place horse Royal Mustang by four fat
lengths
AS good as he was in '52 Hill Gail only won by two
lengths The next year it Dark Star by head over
Native Dancer the only lost by the Vanderbilt gray
Then 1t was Determine by length and half Hasty
Road Swaps by the same margin over Nashua, Needles
by three quarters Fabus, Iron Lege by
Gallant Man. Tim Tam by half length Lincoln Road
and Tony Lee by spare nose Sword Dancer.
The 86h Derby provided little of the suspense of the
last eight. Bally Ache well but when Venetian Way
bareled past him at the top of the stretch there
IN rupn The he nfeeSi0O al
photographers nightmare because except for the long
lens artists at Churchill Downs they couldn't get many
horses in the picture.
VICTORIA PARK, the third horse was 71a lengths
back of up Bay Ache And Victoria Park two
and quarter lengths ahead of Tompion.
All the rest apparently eliminated themselves The
Tony Grafs and Divine Comedys and Spring Brokers and
Henrijans were overmatched.
Tompions dull effort fooled not only his supporters
who made him $1O to 81 favorite, but Jockey Willie
Shoemaker we'll. The Shoe going after his third
Derby triumph, having scored with Tony Lee last year
and with Swaps in 1855.
Tompion perhaps the most royalty bred of the four
top horses had the misfortune of breaking from the No.
1S box but he's been the fastbreaker that is Bay
Ache and it didn't important AS matter of fact
Tompon moved up to good position surprisingly early.
And then he undone, losing his left shoe and his
chance to run in the PreaknesS.
IN THE JOCKEYS ROOM nobody was seeking out
Shoemaker too much Mostly the press corps trying
to tolerate Hartack pick his brains After Hartack it
was Bob Ussery rider of Bay Ache. But Shoemaker
mystlhed, 1t seemed, by his colts dull performance.
ut might be that the colt didn't like the track" The
Shoe hazarded. He slipping and sliding. When I
passed Henrijan who second at half mile and finally
finished 18th and dead last, knew it good
"Tompon wasn't running much. He didn't seem to
nave the feel OF the track We excuses unless it
was the track" This however was before the revelation
that Tompon had cast his shoe soft going hurt
his left foreleg.
Willie, it seemed, offered this lamely apologetically
ALI week the owners trainers and riders had been talking
about how much improved and was the Churchill
Downs strip 1t had rained shortly before the Derby
but hardly enough to drascay alter track conditions
Jockeys and trainers are like their horses it would
seem. They're not very consistent either.
a