Jockey Sullivan is "Up" Again Red Sullivan by Darlene Powell You've all no doubt noticed Robert "Red" Sullivan on the Weber College campus this past quarter, and now we want to give you a chance to become better acquainted with him. We had an opportunity to visit with Red the other day and during the conversation we discovered the reason for the cast and crutches. "I was riding a horse in a race when it cut too close to the rail," our slight Irish friend explained. "They told me the horse went on without me and finished a close second. I couldn't tell though for everything went black." We happened to be among the spectators at that race, by the way, and if Red could have been up on that horse to the finish we're sure he would have finished one better than the second. Even a bone broken from knee to ankle and the prospect of never being able to ride again don't change Robert Sullivan's love for horses. "I've always loved horses and when I work at other jobs I'm not happy," Red told us. He is now taking advantage of an opportunity to go to school and is a pre-medical student who hopes to become a veterinarian, specializing in surgery on horses. His sharp blue eyes grew serious as he continued telling us about his plans. "When a horse breaks his leg, the only way to save him is to strap the leg in a way that the horse won't be able to put his weight on it. You can tell a person to keep his weight off a broken leg, but the first thing a horse will do is try to stand on his injured limb. Strapping a horse's leg in such a manner puts the animal in dangerous cramped position that often kills him. I want to find out the answer to the problem and specialize on Thoroughbreds. I think it can be done." As we sat and talked that crisp, fall afternoon, we discovered that Red's love for horses goes back to his first days in Kansas where his father raised Shetland ponies for show purposes. Young Robert would take the ponies over hurdles as a special attraction at horse shows. The diminutive boy with his tiny jumping horses made a very colorful special attraction. As he grew older his concern for horses also grew and so it was that a deep feeling for horses planted itself securely within him. One afternoon a group of boys had gathered to test the speed of their ponies and young Sullivan seemed to be leaving the entire field behind in the quick-paced races. Among the group of amused spectators was a large, dark-complexioned onlooker who quietly watched the races and grew very interested in the small, red haired boy who skillfully and repeatedly rode the winners. This very concerned spectator was Charlie Howard, who had been a Texas Ranger before deciding to try his luck in the racing circuits. Charlie had bought a few Thoroughbreds and, as owner and trainer, followed the races at all the recognized smaller tracks. "Charlie never did care for the big time business and always seemed satisfied with what he had," Red told us. Now Charlie was looking for a boy he could take with him to ride his horses. He found what he was looking for in Robert Sullivan; so with his big half French, half Indian friend, Red started east for Maryland and the beginning of a career as a jockey. At fifteen, Red was riding Charlie's horses as an apprentice rider. That is, a rider who has neither ridden for a year, nor has ridden forty winners and is not yet recognized by the New York Jockey Club. Red explained that the job of learning to ride a race horse is not a quick and easy one. Before ever mounting, the prospective jockey must learn the feel of a Thoroughbred's mouth by leading it and learning to communicate by a touch on the reins. After that part of the training is completed, then comes the task of learning the correct jockey seat by riding the "pony," or the coldblooded horse at the track that is used for ordinary riding purposes. Then at last the beginner is allowed to ride one of the older and less valuable Thoroughbreds; first at a walk; then at a gallop and finally he is allowed to run the horse. It took the first year of Red's life as a jockey to go through this training period. Then at the Harve de Gras race track in Maryland, he began his career riding Charlie's horses. The friendship between big, fearless Charlie and the young, ambitious jockey grew close as they traveled to tracks from Maryland to Texas with such horses 6 as Open Hearth and Merrio. Red recalled that Open Hearth was prize of the string and his favorite. "All I had to do was sit there, and Open Hearth would do the rest. If you took a whip to him, he'd stop dead still." The close association between Charlie and Red ended where it began. It was in Kansas that Red said goodbye to his friend and started as a free lance rider. Red's first days of free lance riding will be long remembered because of a certain race in Kansas City. The parade to the post had been completed in stately fashion and the horses were in the starting gate with tension running high. The starting gate shot open, sending the horses off in a beautiful burst of speed. Simultaneously, clouds seemed to be ripped open and the worst hail storm Kansas City had seen that summer broke loose in beating torrents. The terrified horses reared and spun and darted madly in every direction. The races were postponed and the rest of the afternoon was spent trying to catch the horses and quiet the high-strung thoroughbreds which had thought the starting gate had opened fire on them! From Thistle Downs in Columbus, Ohio, Red went on to the well known tracks of the East such as Aqueduct, Saratoga, Jamaica, Pimlico, and many others. Wherever he went he found big and little people alike hoping for winners in the horses they had. As free lance rider, Red rode for such stables as Greentree and Warren Wright's Calumet Farm, riding some of the very best horseflesh and meeting such outstanding horsemen as Ben Jones, who has perhaps trained more winning Thoroughbreds than any other man. We asked Red if there was any particular horse which is outstanding in his mind. Red paused for a moment and smiled. "There was a big rangy, chestnut horse named Clang who held the world's record for three-fourths of a mile." Red was then riding for the owner of Clang and was to ride him in a handicap race. Shortly before the race dang died from an unknown cause. The powerful, beautiful horse had established his record before he died and will be long remembered by Red and others who knew him. From the Eastern tracks, Red went to the west coast where he became associated with the S. C. Howard Stables, which owned the famous Seabiscuit. "Did you like the great Seasbiscuit?" we asked. A grin spread over his face and a sly twinkle was in his eye as he pushed up his shirt sleeve and revealed the replica of a horse's head, with the name "Seabiscuit" neatly tattooed beneath! Red was especially fond of Seabiscuit. Later, Red went to work for S. C. Howard's son Lynn, who, in partnership with Bing Crosby, formed the Bing Ling Stables. The string was made up of fine Argentine horses and while working for the Bing-Ling Stables, Red traveled to Argentina several times. By the way, it was in the Argentine that Red met the girl who later became his wife. When the war broke out, Red joined the Navy. Now that he is back home and going to school, he has a start on attaining the goal he is seeking. He knows what he wants and is willing to work hard to get it. "I missed out on a high school education," he informed us, "so it makes college hard, but it's worth it." After talking to Robert Sullivan we feel sure that he will get what he wants and we wish him the best of luck! Upper: Diddy wins the mile race at Agua Caliente. Lower: Red rides Mint Boy at Agua Caliente track. Quatro stands proudly at Santa Anita race track in California.