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le of to | | I j . - . j * e j MRS. ALBERT SABATH— The Chicago sportswomans silks will be seen for the first time in the Kentucky Derby when her Alsab goes postward today. . REFLECTIONS I By Nelson Dunstan Describing Derby — Let Cobb Do It! Col. Matt Winn — A Real American r a ,s to 0 o Overnight, Louisville has become a fast-growing metropolis. By train, trailer, auto and plane the throngs continue to arrive, and by noon time there will be surging mass of humanity converging on Churchill Downs. Long before that, however, the gates will be thrown open and there will be a wild rush for vantage points even though the Derby is many hours away. To describe the scene is next impossible. They once asked Irvin Cobb to describe it, and he said: "If I could do •s r Naming Winner? — See the Selectors Todays Renewal Could Be Thriller r [ it | I a a _ | 1 1 I g j of m e g . that I would have a larynx of spun silver and the tongue of an anointed angel. But if you can imagine a track thats like bracelet of molten gold encircling a green- sward thats like a patch of emerald velvet —all the pretty girls in the state turning the grandstand into a brocaded terrace beauty and color, such as the hanging gardens of Babylon never equalled — all the assembled sportsmen of the nation going crazy at once — as they watch some symphony of satin coat, slim legs and panting I nostrils — but, whats the use? Until you 1 go to Louisville and with your own eyes s behold the Derby, you aint never been 1 nowheres and you aint never seen 1 nothin." "Whos gonna win?" is the all-absorbing question in Derby Town— and every other town. In all the sixty-seven runnings, we doubt if any renewal has offered such a wide range of possibilities. Who will be favorite? There is no sure answer to that one! Alsab lost six straight races and — they made him favorite for the Derby Trial, in which he ran third. They will be sending it in on him — and they will be sending it in on others, some of whom have yet to demonstrate they can, carry their speed over one and one-quarter miles. Alsab beat Requested, then Requested beat Alsab. Devil Diver beat Whirlaway and Sun Again, then Sun Again beat Whirlaway. Colchis defeated Requested, then Requested defeated Colchis. Hollywood won in Kentucky and the victory was followed by stories of a "huge killing" on the imported Valdina horse. Then r 1 1 | r i i j » | f , 1 ] j , " 1 1 1 I j j i . c 1 i j e I l [ ; t 1 j | _ l ; ; ! : : t • l - ! | . came Tuesdays Derby Trial and Valdina Orphan won from Sun Again, Alsab and Hollywood, and the more you try to dope it, the more you grin and think: "Thats the handicappers job." Its wide open — wide open, we say, and we also say that the many thousands in Churchill Downs are likely to see a Derby renewal they are never going to forget. At least seven in todays field have a royal chance of smelling roses in the winners circle. Many horses stand out in Kentucky Derby annals — so do two men. The first was Col. M. Lewis Clark, who journeyed to England to study the conditions of races which annually drew thousands upon thousands of spectators to such historic centers as Epsom and Ascot. He returned to found the Louisville Jockey Club in 1874 and, in the following year, inaugurate the Derby that will be run for the 68th time this afternoon. In that crowd of 10,000 at Churchill Downs in 1875 was a boy named Matt Winn — and he is the same Col. Matt Winn who assumed the managerial responsibilities of the Derby in 1902, and now, in 1942, can look back upon an ordinary horse race that he built to become one of the most important and colorful turf events of the world. Men in Ireland and Australia will be waiting for news of this I event that annually captures the imagination of a nation. Matt Winn has never missed a Derby renewal and, hale and hearty, he will be on hand for todays running. When the men on the air speak of the boys in uniform, we hope they add that Matt I Winn contributed 0,000 to the Red Cross for their benefit, and that when toasts to the winner are made on Saturday night, they will also be made to "The Colonel Winn — a great sportsman and a greater American." Todays renewal could be a thriller equalled by few in the past. The possibility of one horse "stealing" it by taking a long lead and lasting is not as great as one closing like a bullet — as Bleu dOr did in the Wood Memorial — to snatch the honors and the cash. But while it may have all the thrills of Flying Ebonys victory or the cleanness of Twenty Grands j renewal, it is safe to say the winner will have no soft touch such as Whirl- g away found last year. There will be no blow-up such as that of Brevity or v Bimelech, for no starter stands out as it was thought they did. Sandes j victory on crippled Flying Ebony will never be forgotten. Thunder rolled overhead as Captain Hal set the pace, with Sandes mount at his heels. At s the head of the stretch, Sande sent Flying Ebony to the front, withstood the c challenges just as Requested did in the Wood Memorial and then went on t to win by a length and a half. Having ridden Zev in 1923, it was Sandes t second victory and he tied Isaac Murphy, "the colored Archer," when he won t with Gallant Fox in 1930. Arcaro rode Lawrin in 1938 and Whirlaway in 1941, a and should he win with Devil Diver today, he will become the third to win ■ three renewals — and also bring second honors to the Greentree Stable, who won with Twenty Grand in 1931. j *
