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ASSAULT The 1946 American Triple Crown winner is captured on canvas by bynoted noted English artist John Rouson Warren Mehrtens is astride the King Ranch Ranchchampion champion Mr Rouson who has resided in New York City for several years is israpidly rapidly gaining recognition for his paintings of equine subjects Derby Is First of Triple Crown Races Series of American Classics Outstrips Its British Original Sir Barton First to Sweep Three Races Seven Others Later Followed Example ExampleBy By CHARLES HATTON HATTONCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 3 Among the many other conven ¬ iences in modern racing is the American Triple Crown or simply the Triple Crown if you wish The appellation was thought up by the author some years ago as a matter of convenence We simply tired of refering to the three spring threeyear old classics by theuvindividual names the Kentucky Derby Preakness and Belmont when all three were meant It seemed a circumlocution So we indulged in a little plagiarism and immitated the British who speak of their 2000 Guineas Epson Derby and Doncaster St Leger as the Triple Crown It was as suitable as it was unor ¬ iginal For that matter the founding fath ¬ ers of the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes frankly had some rather slavish mimicry in mind when they originated these events as the American counterparts of the classic on Epsom Downs DownsAcross Across the years the American version of the Triple Crown has come to have a significance all its own far outstripping the English original in monetary value though not of course in historical import ¬ ance To the average racing man the Triple Crown spells enduring fame and 325000 in added monies Actually it is worth far more in dollarsandcents since the winner accrues a certain prestige and value at stud and indeed his immediate sire dam and others of their progeny automatically become more desirable desirableDerby Derby Was Sir Bartons First Win WinOne One rainy May Saturday in 1919 we stood at the paddockside then near Cen ¬ tral Avenue at Churchill Downs and saw little bright chestnut colt with a blaze and a sheepskin noseband called Sir Bar ¬ ton saddled for the Derby He was a maid ¬ en at the time but we thought the son of Star Shoot outlooked his rivals shoes to plates A few minutes later jockey Johnny Loftus sporting J K LRoss black orange hoops mounted him and proceeded to splash mud and water at his field every stride of the mile and onequarter onequarterThis This was not entirely according to the script Sir Barton ran coupled with the ewe necked brown gelding Billy Kelly who was ridden by the generously freckled Handy Guy Earl Sande and had been one of 1918s outstanding twoyearolds The supposition was that Sir Barton would yield pride of place to Billy Kelly after setting the pace Instead he was so far in front when Loftus stole a glance back ¬ ward at the top of the stretch there was nothing for it but to carry on and assure a success for the Canadian sportsman sportsmanSir Sir Barton then did something no other horse Tiad achieved and only Count Fleet has since that day he went on to capture the Withers the Preakness and the Bel ¬ mont Stakes He was a great race horse albeit an abject failure as a sire Others Following Sir Barton BartonHistory History records seven other Triple Crown winners since Sir Bartons day In chrono ¬ logical order there were or are Gallant Fox in 1930 Omaha in 1935 War Admiral in 37 Whirlaway in 41 Count Fleet in 43 Assault in 46 and Citation in 1948 They are a mighty company We are indebted to Gallant Fox his son Omaha War Admiral and Count Fleet for noteworthy contribu ¬ tions to the improvement of the breed Citation still may reproduce himself As ¬ sault is unfortunately sterile not unlike some others tracing to St Germans and Whirlaway failed to measure up to Calu ¬ mets high standards in the stud and was i exported to France where he has since died Gallant Fox and Omaha are the lone father and son winners of the Triple Crown though others may follow These bearers of the late William Woodward Srs distinguished white red polka dots are best known to contemporary breeders as broodmare sires Thus on the whole our Triple Crown justifies the confidence turf ¬ men repose in it as a criterion of quality in the stud studIn In addition to the prestige and monetary importance of the Triple Crown there are the trophies which accrue to the winners in each of the three great spring classics The gold Kentucky Derby vase yields to no other token of victory in the entire panorama of the sport for sheer beauty Pimlico adds the Woodlawn Vase to its Preakness prizes and Belmont Park also felicitates the winner of its fixture with a chaste trophy ornamental in its auster ¬ ity In recent years the TRA has honored Triple Crown heroes with a special silver trophy for their permanent possession in commemoration of then attainment Im ImContinued Continued on Pagt 45 D American Triple Crown Series Outstrips Its British Original Sir Barton First tcrSweep t Three Races Seven Others Later Followed Example ExampleContinued Continued horn Page 6 0 0probable probable as it may seem many wealthy sportsmen and women are more eager to have these baubles than the checks which accompany them themScores Scores of horses have sought the Triple Crown since Sir Barton refused to be sacri ¬ ficed on the alterof pacemaking and since the imaginative Gallant Pox all but washed away shaking like an aspen as he watched the start of the six furlongs race several days before the Derby then slammed Gallant Knight Ned O and the others in the classic itself itselfThe The most ungenerous critic will concede that it takes a first rate horse to win any of the great triumvirate of classics To win all three naturally imposes a larger fund of what horseman call bottom when they imply a performer who has stamina durability and unusual depth In substance it is a mistake to assume that simply be ¬ cause a colt wins one he can repeat the form formOnly Only One Week Interval Between Races RacesThere There was a time not many years ago when the Preakness followed the Derby at an interval of only one week This was before air transportation for horses so that it involved a bruising race at Louis ¬ ville a ship to Baltimore and another ap ¬ pearance against the leading threeyear olds in the space of seven days Again there was less of a breather afforded Triple Crown aspirants between the Preak ¬ ness and Belmont than exists today But even in the present day when their dafes afford poor doers bad shippers or slightly fragmented Derby starters more chance of recovery it is a peculiarly exacting task to set any threeyearold Different environs and tracks can bring different results The Triple Crown winner not only must have class he must have the temperament ver ¬ satility and soundness It is appropriate that we honor those who succeed as we do No fewer than 13 very good colts have managed to win two of the three classics but had the heartbreaking nisfortune to ail of bringing off a clean sweep sweepBurgoo Burgoo King Bold Venture and Pensive captured both the Derby and Preakness but not the Belmont Stakes the first two because they went wrong training for it Bimelech Capot Native Dancer and Na shua failed to win the Derby then scored resounding successes in the Preakness and the Belmont Six Zev Twenty Grand Johnstown Shut Out Middleground and Needles won both the Derby and the Bel ¬ mont but were defeated in the Preakness PreaknessA A piquant question in turf circles just now concerns whether any of the runners i in this ensuing Derby will carry off the Triple Crown The chances are as bright as ever they were But the identity of the colt mostlikelytosucceed is the 325000 question questionSome Some of the aspirants for the Preakness and Belmont such as Bakht and Gannet have no interest hi the Derby and the ex ¬ alted category of Triple Crown winners Lord Chumley is pointing especially for the Belmont Stakes now known as the test of the champion and this year open to geldings for the first time But the Calu mets particularly the stretch running Gen Duke and their arch rival Bold Ruler suggest themselves as Triple Crown material and definitely are intended for all three races racesThe The grip which the American Triple Crown has on the racegoing public is such that even before Gov Chandler presents the Derby trophy more than 200 scribes assembled here for the race will look to see if the winner is in the Preakness and Belmont as a matter of course It would be an unforgivable error of ommission to fail to note the winners status in the other legs of the Triple Crown
