Here and There on the Turf: Tigers Class is Evident Won Derby in Smart Time Sun Egret Has His Speed Now Aims, Daily Racing Form, 1938-04-05

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Here and There on the Turf Tigers Class Is Evident Won Derby in Smart Time Sun Egret Has His Speed Now Aims for Chesapeake Tiger simply had too much class for the ten other three-year-olds trying for the Arkansas Derby Saturday and, bouncing into the lead immediately after the start, he led all the way over the mile and. one furlong distance, which he ran in 1:50, two-fifths of a second slower than the track record. The son of Bull Dog Starless Moment, by North Star III., and one of the outstanding juveniles of last season, lost some of his caste when beaten off in the Santa Anita Derby, his only other start of the present year. However, Robert McGarvey was pre-x vented from giving Mrs. Ethel V. Mars speedy colt the proper preparation for that v race because of the protracted presence of a muddy track, a condition which Tiger does not fancy. No such obstacle was in his way when making ready for the Arkansas Derby, and the Milky Way colorbearer was at his bset for the ,000 added contest, victory in which elevated his earnings to the extent of ,060. By virtue of his Arkansas Derby triumph Tiger holds his ground as a leading candi-i date for the Kentucky Derby, even though his opposition did not call for very much. But the Bull Dog colt was called upon to take up the championship weight of 126 pounds, which necessitated giving nine pounds to all the other colts and fourteen to the two filly contestants. Then he set all the pace and finished out in very respectable fashion, equalling the time made by Lawrin in capturing the Flamingo Stakes and falling two-fifths of a second short of the mark set by Stagehand in the Santa Anita Derby. Both Hialeah Park and Santa Anita have considerably faster records for the mile and one furlong distance, however, than Oaklawn Park, and Tiger carried six pounds more than did Lawrin and eight more than Stagehands burden. In gaining a commanding lead in the early stages of the Arkansas Derby Tiger ran the opening quarter in :23 and the half mile in :46. He slowed down a bit in the back stretch, doing the third quarter in :25 to complete the first six furlongs in 1:11. Rounding the second turn the son of Bull Dog naturally slowed down, but although he went this part of the race in :27 to cover the mile in 1:38, he increased his advantage to five lengths. Entering the last furlong Tiger increased his pace again and, while he had much left when reaching the wire, he did the final eighth in :12, or at the rate of better than :25 for a quarter. Judging by his Arkansas Derby performance the Milky Way star may be regarded as the probable pacemaker in the Kentucky Derby. Always possessed of extreme speed, he seems the kind which does not respond readily to rating, wishing to step out in front under a light rein. Another Kentucky Derby candidate to show himself off to good advantage Saturday was Sun Egret, which took the Rowe Memorial Handicap at Bowie in handy fashion. The A. C. Compton colt had acquitted himself nobly in his winter campaign in California, running third to Stagehand and Dauber in the Santa Anita Derby, after winning four straight races, including a trio of stakes. Back at sprinting again and catching a muddy track, which he likes, the son of Sun Briar and Polly Egret, by Polymclian, came from behind after following the pace closely, to draw out in handy fashion over a field of fair sprinters. Even though Sun Egret was unable to last after providing the pace in the Santa Anita Derby, losing by a length to Stagehand, H. G. Bedwell hopes to develop him into a worthy Kentucky Derby candidate. The next important engagement of the Kilmer-bred colt is the Chesapeake Stakes, 5,000 added mile and one-sixteenth added event, which since its inception in 1920, has been won by three horses that later proved successful in the Churchill Downs classic, War Admiral turning the trick last spring. As in the case of Tiger, the question regarding Sun Egrets chances in the Derby is his ability to stay. . Both Stagehand and Dauber ran him down in the final furlong of the Santa Anita Derby, but only after he had given a fine performance in supplying the pace. That he can handle the weight appears well enough established, but to maintain his speed over the mile and one-quarter distance is the assignment most concerning him.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1930s/drf1938040501/drf1938040501_2_3
Local Identifier: drf1938040501_2_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800