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REFLECTIONS By CHALLENGER Is Whirlaway Great Horse Greatest American Racers Will Posterity Laud Seabiscuit Man oy War Still Rated Tops Granting an upset is always possible Whirlaway should be returned the winner of tomorrows renewal of the Belmont Stakes In that event he will become the fifth threeyearold in history to win the coveted Triple Crown Such a victory would give him a major claim to threeyearold honors and also a solid foothold in the annual quest for that title Horse of the Year But how will posterity grade him How will he rate with those bygone champions who today are recalled not as only great but with the vanishing years are still mentioned in story and song as the greatest of the great Times without number we have read stories concerning the greatest boxers baseball players and what not Yet though we have often heard of owners trainers and jockeys naming the one horse they thought the peer of all others only once that we know about has a list been compiled in which the twenty greatest American horses of the past fifty years were listed the list resulting from a canvass of fifty trainers owners officials and racing veterans It was compiled by Henry Price veteran Washington newspaperman and unless my timing is off somewhere back around 1934 That list started the most surprising newspaper and magazine controvery we can ever recall regarding the great thoroughbreds Some veteran turf writers flatly rejected the list others agreed in part but not in whole It set in motion an avalanche of varied opinion It is surprising how far some fans will go in defense of their favorite horse On the Price list the majority of those expressing opinions were nationally known turf veterans Yet we were surprised at some of those named and as we recall the group we still wonder why some of them were so honored Though twenty were named all that ve can recall are Man o Var Sysonby Extermina ¬ tor Hindoo Hanover Salvator Domino Bliss Woodford JFirenze Kingston Colin Commando Artful Ben Brush Broomstick Twenty Grand Equipoise and Imp And beyond the fact that Man o War was named as No 1 by a small margin over Sysonby we do not recall how they were rated comparatively One point is certain and that is that regardless of how a list is compiled five certain to rank high are Man o War Sysonby Colin Exterminator and Hindoo It is when the list is extended that opportunity for debate becomes very pos ¬ sible If we were to compile a list of our own Sir Barton Crusader Grey Lag and Gallant Fox would certainly be included So would Reigh Count and Sun Beau And though we did not see him so would Sarazen Vere we to question others undoubtedly they too would recall horses worthy of consideration How could a horse like Gallant Fox be omitted when such a capable judge as Lord Derby while on a visit to this country pronounced the son of Sir Gallahad III Marguerite the greatest threeyearold of his time anywhere anywhereIt It is inconceivable to this writer that horses such as Artful Ben Brush Imp and Broomstick should have been included on the Price list and such as Sarazen Sir Barton Reigh Count Gallant Fox Grey Lag and Crusader omitted The list of leftouts could be enlarged upon Why not Whisk Broom II Chance Play Henry of Navarre Friar Rock and Beldame Undoubtedly Artful was a grand filly She had to be to defeat Sysonby in the only setback of his career Ben Brush was a good two and threeyearold but at four won only seven of his sixteen starts He was beaten by mediocre horses time and again in fact too often to warrant being called great It is true that a horse like Exterminator won but fifty of his 100 starts Yet how could they include Broomstick and Imp and leave out Whisk Broom II the only horse capable of winning the Metropolitan Suburban and Brooklyn Or Gallant Fox which streaked through his division to become the only horse in history to win over 300000 in one season Or Sir Barton the only horse to win the Triple Crown and the Withers Or Reigh Count which went to England to win the Coronation Cup and finish second in the Ascot Gold Cup Or Sarazen which probably ran the fastest one and onequarter miles in turf annals We could name quite a few others which come to mind as we write There is another angle to be considered for the Price list of Twenty Great ¬ est was compiled if memory serves us right in 1934 Six years have elapsed and in those six years some horses worthy of high ranking have been in action There was Dark Secret Cavalcade Discovery Omaha War Admiral Seabiscuit Challcdon Eight Thirty and still others Tire point is which of those are entitled to serious consideration for comparisons with great horses of the past We would say Discovery Seabiscuit and Challcdon are worthy though quick to add our admiration of War Admiral and Eight Thirty In our opinion Discovery was one of the best handicap performers of the century They packed the poundage on the Vanderbilt colorbearer and yet lie came out to carry it to the winners circle He won three successive renewals of the Brooklyn Handicap in the running of 1936 carrying 136 Seabiscuit must certainly be given con ¬ sideration True he won but thirtythree of his eightynine starts but like Exterminator kept on after his threeyearold career and like wine improved with age War Admiral was a better horse than generally rated and his record of twentyone wins and three seconds in twentysix starts bears this out As Challcdon and Eight Thirty are still in competition comment would be better if withheld for the time being Certainly to date both have been champions in all that that word implies Challedon has been the horse of the year two seasons in succession and is now training for the Gold Cup CupWith With Challedon and Eight Thirty we have the Calumet threeyearold Whirlaway to consider Prior to the Derby some went so far as to call him Whacky and even his own trainer referred to him as undependable Then with the DerbyPreakness victories came the most surprising overnight right about we have ever known One veteran now a Chicago official rated him the best he has seen in fifty years con ¬ tending the Calumet threeyearold could give handicap performers such as Challedon Eight Thirty and Mioland six to eight pounds and a beating That is high praise indeed and we must add we would have to see it to believe it If Whirlaway wins tomorrow he will be the fifth to win the American Triple Crown a rare feat in itself From there on the career of the son of Blenheim II will determine his stand ¬ ing among the great American horses of the past sixty years When like Gallant Fox he goes out of his division to defeat older horses at weightforage will be time enough to apply the yardstick for final standing At the moment let us call him a grand threeyearold which gives promise of going far
