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Todays Churchill Race Will Be Known AsNative Dancer sDerby in Time Ahead i PolynesianColtHasCaptured Fancy of Public to a Degree Never Seen Before on Turf By BOB HOBWOOD Staff Correspondent JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 1.— Win or lose, this seventy-ninth running of the Kentucky Derby will be remembered as Native Dancers Derby. The unbeaten gray son of Polynesian — Geisha, by Discovery, has captured the imagination of the public, or at least of the press, radio and television commentators, which should be the same thing to a degree not equalled by any thoroughbred in racing history. Thanks to the television broadcasts of his victories in the Gotham and Wood Memorial, his stretch run has been seen by more persons than saw all of Man o Wars races, plus those who have seen the movies of "Big Reds" races, plus the thousands who visited him annually at Faraway Farm. This will be Native Dancers Derby if he wins is and his first race against colts who have demonstrated that they are first-class three-year-olds. Tahitian King and Invigorator showed last year that they were good two-year-olds, but neither has yet showed that he is a good three-year-old, which is not true of Correspondent, Straight Face and Royal Bay Gem, winners of major stakes at a mile and a furlong this year. Thus, a victory in the Derby will be the most important thus far in Native Dancers career, quite apart from the significance that annually attches to the "Run for the Roses." Napoleon and Wellington If Native Dancer goes down to defeat tomorrow, it will still be remembered as his Derby, more than that of the winner, if only for the same reason that a million persons have a clear mental picture of Napoleon for one who can visualize the Duke of Wellington, his conqueror at Waterloo. There have been other unbeaten winners of a brilliant series of juvenile stakes in comparatively recent years. Native Dancers "Uncle," El Chico was unbeaten at two in 1938, while Black Toneys last son, Bime- Continutd on Poge Twenty-Tiro SUCCESSFUL COMBINATION— Jockey Eric Guerin astride the favorite Native Dancer whom he has ridden in all eleven winning engagements. Todays Renewal of Race to Be .Called Native Dancers Derby ? I Polynesian Colt Has Captured Fancy of Public to a Degree * Never Seen Before on Turf j ► Continued from Page One T lech, had won his half dozen starts at two, I then triumphed in the Blue Grass Stakes j and Derby Trial before Gallahadion beat . him more than a length in the Derby of ; 1940. Popular as they were, neither colt z achieved the popularity accorded Native ; Dancer. j Ted Atkinson is credited with having . summed up Native Dancer last fall, just after he had concluded his campaign of ; nine races with an easy score in the East j View Stakes at mile and a sixteenth. "He ; looks like a champion, just parading to the i post," Ted said. "He acts and responds like , a champion when hes running and he is a i champion, a truly great horse." Well, most veteran observers agree that Citation and Count Fleet were truly great horses, but neither had received the popular attention at the same stage of their careers that has been devoted to Native Dancer. Such popularity must be deserved. But it is not entirely explained by the mere fact that the strapping gray colt has won 11 races in as many starts, including nine stakes, and equaled a worlds record when he charged down six and one-half furlongs of the Widener straight course in 1:1425 to win the Belmont Futurity. Coat Gives Him Color Native Dancer has "color." He has it quite obviously in his gray coat, which makes him a rarity among Kentucky Derby contenders, no colt of that color ever having won the stake. And it makes him popular with the ladies, who have for years been notably partial to gray horses. Though three grays, Olhaverry, Talon -oxid Miche, have won the Santa Anital Handicap, while First Fiddle became one of the most popular of handicap horses, and we have such a good gray sprinter as Greek Warrior and good gray steplechaser as Annibal in comparatively recent years, a top gray horse is still "unusual.* The Vanderbilt colt also has color of another sort, the sort that Joe Louis had in abundance. He is a "knocker-outer," a one-punch killer. Crowds have come to — know this, watching his races with mounting anticipation, waiting confidently while the gray colt gallops tranquilly off the pace as Eric Guerin hunches serenely in the irons; waiting for that instant when Guerin moves his hands and Native Dancer moves to his horses; waiting for that bigger moment when Guerin s stick rises and falls, never more than once, and the big gray colt literally annihilates his rivals. Every one of his 11 victories has, you might say, ended in a knockout. The knockout was, you might also say, a TKO in the Gotham Stakes when he seemed to have a bit of trouble putting away mediocre horses, but the Wood Memorial a week later was ended with the authentic Native Dancer punch. Red Smiths Comment After that Wood Memorial, Red Smith was observed sitting, a little stunned, a trifle bemused with glory, his hands in his lap while the keys of his typewriter waited invitingly. "About all you can say about this colt now," he said, "is thence back to the Lay-ton Barb Mare, or whoever it is." Its easy to agree with the noted columnist, but, for the record. Native Dancer was foaled on March 27, 1950, at Dan Scotts farm near Lexington, Ky., where Geisha had been sent to be bred to Amphitheatre. Needless to say, she has gone back to Polynesian since Native Dancer revealed .his quality. The gray colt showed some of that quality while still a yearling, which may be why Vanderbilt went to 0,000 to obtain another Polynesian colt from Coldstream Stud at the Keeneland sales before any of that sires offspring had been proved un-der fire. That purchase, incidentally, was Beachcomber, who has made two public appearances. The first time, he was supposed to set the early pace, while Native Dancer worked between races with First Glance, but he refused to cooperate. The second time was in a maiden race the afternoon that Native Dancer won the Wood. Though favored, Beachcomber behaved more like Cousin, who was Vanderbilts 1952 Derby hopeful, but refused to extend himself. Coming to the races in May, Native Dancer ran away with a maiden dash at Jamaica and soon after won the Youthful, for his first stakes triumph. He was then put away, reported to be suffering from bucked shins. This spring, trainer Bill Winfrey confirmed a report that the colt had also had a splint which for a few weeks made his future exceedingly doubtful. He was going soundly again, however, when sent to Saratoga in mid-July. Upstate he paraded through the Flash, Saratoga Special, Grand Union Hotel and Hopeful Stakes, without being seriously extended, never doing more than was asked, but doing that with the flourish and power of a champion. Returned to Long Island, Native Dancer breezed in the Anticipation Purse, a prep for the Futurity. Despite his long string of easy victories, there were many big bettors who kept their money in their pockets when he paraded postward in the Futurity. The Dancers ankles, particularly his left front, had been a bit large from the start of his campaign, but they loomed larger as his reputation grew, to a point where they disquieted some shrewd investors in the chances of thoroughbreds. Sound or not, Native Dancer answered the one question that had not previously been put to him, showing genuine courage when he literally shouldered his way between horses when apparently hopelessly blocked nearing the eighth pole, then set- Contmued on Page Forty-Nine Renewal to Be Known As The DancerV Derby Has Captured Publics Fancy to Degree Never Before Seen on Turf Continued from Page Twenty-Two ting sail for Tahitian King, who had stolen away to a lead of several lengths. Once clear, Native Dancer charged at Tahitian King another Polynesian with a rush that could hardly be believed even while you were seeing it and went to score by open daylight. After that race, Eddie Arcaro, who rode Tahitian King, said: "I was up on a great horse and I thought we had it won, but that Dancer just smothered us." Native Dancer appeared once more, coming out for the East View Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth at Jamaica. In this, his longest race until last week, he merely played with Laffango, who had won the Champagne Stakes in courageous style. Eric Guerin said after that race: "Nobody could ask more of a horse than Native Dancer has given. Hes, rather a good-natured animal, playful at times. After we collared that last horse this afternoon, he eased himself up. But he would have opened up and won by 10 lengths if I had asked him to." After the East View, Vanderbilt and trainer Bill Winfrey decided to retire Native Dancer for the season. He was sent to California and those suspicious ankles were fired, a process which did not reduce their outward appearance — on the contrary. Winfrey explained "I just thought it common sense to fire them now, rather than wish some time next summer that I had." When Native Dancer appeared to have difficulty disposing of ordinary horses in the Gotham and required the same time to get the job done that he had taken to win the East View as a juvenile, some observers shook their heads dubiously. The champion, undeniably, had not accomplished that comparatively minor task with the brilliant flourish that he had brought to his races last year. But the Wood was another story, and though the overall time was comparatively slow and the competition apparently inferior to that awaiting him in Kentucky, Native Dancer * looked himself I again. To borrow a title from novelist Thomas Hardy, it was "The return of the Native."
