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Your Host Carrying Hopes of West Will Try to Emulate Morvich In 00,000 Churchill Test Goetz Performer First Saw Light of Day at L B. Mayer Ranch at Perris, California By W. A. WILLIG 1 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 5.— Whatever is thought of his Kentucky Derby chances in other quarters, Califor-nians who have followed Your Hosts career on the West Coast believe he has all the qualifications of a.potential winner of that blue ribbon classic which has fallen to only one other native son, Morvich in 1922, Your Host started only 10 times before he departed for Kentucky and was unplaced but once. The only time he went unplaced was in the first start of ;his career, on July 15, 1949, at the Hollywood-at-Santa Anita meeting. Eight days later, however, he romped to a one-sided victory by running three-quarters in 1:11, and after that he scored five more triumphs and was three times second. Your Host first saw the light of day on Feb. 13, 1947, at the Louis B. Mayer Ranch at Perris, and in January of 1949 was sold to movieman William Goetz, son-in-law of the coifs breeder. Your Host has a slightly bent neck, as a result of an injury he sustained when he fell as a yearling at the ranch, and four white feet, which superstition has it are undesirable in a racing prospect, but trainer Harry L. Daniels, who was bidding for Goetz, liked the looks of the youngster and bid to 0,000 to get him. Nothing Wrong With Breeding Aside from the white feet and the slight tilt to his head, Your Host is a good looking chestnut and there is nothing Wrong with his breeding. He is by the great stallion Alibhai, whom Mayer sold to a group of eastern breeders for 00,000, and from the mare Boudoir II., who was a stakes winner in England. The 0,000 which Your Host brought was considerably higher than the average of something like 2,500 which the 51 horses brought at the Mayer dispersal, but that he was a bargain can be seen in his record. The Goetz colt took with him to Louisville a bankroll of 23,-770. He earned 8,970 before the conclusion of his two-year-old form and added 34,800 to that money chest during the winter season at Santa Anita as a three-year-old. Your Host cut no fancy figure in his racing debut, but at the same time he was meeting no ordinary two-year-olds. The winner of the race, Thanks Again, later was to win the Starlet Stakes, and the second horse, Prince Abbey, later accounted for the Haggin Stakes. The Alibhai colt, * : however, finished no closer than seventh in a field of eight. In his second start, on July 23, Your Host got down to business and in running the six furlongs in 1:11 under 120 pounds, won with four and a half lengths to spare over Finis. That was on the last day of the Hollywood Park season and from that point he was sent to Californias popular seaside course, Del Mar. Your Host started three times at Del Mar, winning twice and finishing second ■on the other occasion. His lone defeat at Del Mar came in his first start and to beat him a nose Sun State had to set a new track record of 1:04% for five and a half furlongs. In his next try Your Host scored another one-sided victory. Again carrying 120 pounds, he romped five and a half furlongs in 1:04% and beat Mrs. Fuddy with three and a half lengths to spare. Then he took a bead on the Del Mar Futurity and, likewise, ran away with that stake. This time, with 115 pounds on his back, the colt rattled off three-quarters of a mile in 1:10% and raced under the wire under wraps four lengths in advance of his nearest rival. The Futurity, which netted 1,725, brought out a field of 13 and among them were many of the Wests outstanding juvenile developments, such as. Blue Rings, Sturdy One, Great - Circle, " Grandfather, Sun State, Cliff House and Princes Bid. Your Host raced with the leaders to the head of the stretch, took command at will, and quickly left his rivals behind. Unfortunate at Bay Meadows From Del Mar, Your Host was taken to Bay Meadows and there he made two public appearances. On each of these two occasions the Goetz colt had to be content with second honors. In Bay Meadows Homebred Stakes at six furlongs the son of Alibhai had to shoulder 125 pounds and he made a mighty bid for victory, but Blue Reading, burdened with only 116 pounds, nailed him at the wire and beat him a neck. Your Host had been two lengths in front with only a furlong to go, but he just could not stall off the hard-running Blue Reading, who came from far back to get him. Your Host and Blue Reading met again a short time later over the same course in the Salinas Handicap and this time the Goetz star won, only to be disqualified for foul and placed second. Your Host, carrying 122 pounds to 117 for Blue Reading, made his own pace, a fast one, but in the last eighth he swerved over in front of his opponent and the stewards ordered his number taken down. Whether he could have beaten Blue Reading that day will never be known, but as it was he finished ■ ■ — — — ► a length and a half in front. His time for the eight panels was 1:37. Later Your Host settled accounts with Blue Reading and there is now no doubt as to who is the better horse. They met twice early in the Santa Anita meeting and Your Host decisively whipped Blue Reading on each occasion. They met first at Santa Anita in the. California Breeders Champion Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth and while Blue Reading was good enough to be second, he was no match for Your Host. Meeting at level weights, 118 pounds, Your Host took an early, lead, kept it and won by five open lengths. Others in the race included Top Production, Quihi, Alderman, Thanks Again, Competing Beau and Selector. Time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:44. Your Hosts next effort, and victory, came in the San Felipe Stakes at seven-eighths of a mile and this time Blue Reading was third, second honors going to Great Circle. After a brief duel with Sun Rene, Your Host parted from his company, opened four lengths on his closest opponent, and won by three. Again an easy winner, his time for the distance was 1:23%. Among others behind him in the San Felipe were Hawley and Sturdy One, who also left California to see 3-year-old honors in the East this spring. Your Hosts crowning success came in the Santa Anita Derby at a mile and an eighth, and it was after his triumph in this winter special that Goetz and trainer Daniels decided to set the colts sights on the famed Kentucky classic. Johnny Long-den put him on the lead and he never gave it up. Whether he actually had to do so or not, Longden rode his mount out and he won by two and a half lengths from Sturdy One with Great Circle third and Hawley fourth. It also was after Your Hosts Santa Anita Derby victory that Longden arranged his flight to Australia and return so that he could be on hand to ride the Goetz star in the Kentucky Derby. In winning the Santa Anita special, Your Host, shouldering 118 pounds, ran the mile and a furlong in .1:48%, just a zip off the track record and the fastest time ever registered at Santa Anita by a 3-year-old. Soon after the close of the Santa Anita season. Your Host was sent to Churchill Downs where his obvious flair for running fast and his crooked neck began to soften the inherent aversion Kentuckians hold for any thoroughbred bred outside the Blue Grass area, with especial reference to anything calling the Golden State home. This softening-up became practically a conversion when Your Host, vanned to Keeneland for a prep" in the Scarlet Gate Purse, dazzled such old-timers as Arthur B. Hancock, Phil Chinn and Ben Jones with his record-breaking display of raw speed in that seven-furlong event. He won.under wraps from Mr. Trouble, Theory and Oil Capitol. When Mr. Trouble beat Oil Capitol in the Blue Grass and Black George, erased by 16 lengths against Your Host in the Scarlet Gate, won the Derby Trial, the Your Host bandwagon lengthened as his odds shortened. So tomorrow afternoon, for one of the rare times in turf history, western fans and Kentucky hardboots will have something in common— in the majority they agree that Your Host is the one to beat in this 76th Derby, and one and all know that if any horse beats him, hell have to catch him.
