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Churchill Downs By Charles Hatton -■ 83rd Derby Was Story Book Renewal Cuppy Track Did Not Delay First Two Iron Liege Like Iron Knight of Old CHURCHILL DOWNS. Louisville, Ky., May 6. Billed as the toughest of the Derbys, the 83d was also the strangest. It was comparable in its boldly dramatic developments of the Metropolitan Handicap in 1934. in which Equipoise won and was disqualified, and the unbeaten Chase Me broke a leg and was destroyed. Three Men on a Horse" was suggested by that one. The events leading up to Saturdays Derby and their denouement are fully as unlikely. There was the dream Ralph Lowe had on Derby eve. when he saw Gallant Man in front, then his rider stand up on him. This nightmare proved only too prophetic. Then there was the abject hopelessness of the Calumet Marching and Chowder Club in the small hours Saturday morning, when Gen. Duke literally turned up with a hot foot and had to decline, leaving it up to his understudy Iron Liege to carry on for the devils red and blue. The odds jumped from 7 to 5 to some 9 to 1, reacting sharply to Iron Lieges dismal performance in the Derby Trial. At 4:36 p.m. CDST, Mrs. Markey, the Missouri Joneses and Willie Hartack were on cloud nine, in Calumets accustomed place in the winners circle. They seem to have a long-term lease on this grassy tract! The colt generally rated only third best, to Gen. Duke and Barbizon. had miraculously saved the day. Too Many Willies in the Act Then there were the histrionics of the race itself: Iron Liege taking a forward position, not only maintaining it but actually improving it furlong after furlong, long after incredulous witnesses of the Trial expected him to collapse. Improving his position despite the fact brash young Hartatk had him in a jackpot at the end of the backstretch, when he dove for the rail and found Willie Carstens using it. Wee Willie really needs one of those Caliente skull caps. Then, 70 yards out, one of the most extraordinary incidents in all Derby history occurred. Gallant Man was challenging inexorably,, had crept up to Iron Lieges neck, and looked a certain winner, though the Calumet colt was fightirtg back. Then Shoemaker stood up, Roman style, for one stride, obviously thinking he had reached the finish. He realized his mistake instantly and bent Gallant Man to his task again. But it was too late. It all happened in a trice. In a race among horses "trained to the minute," the infinitesimal fraction of a second decided the result. There was honor enough for both lion Liege and Gallant Man in that Derby. They are well-named colts. Iron Liege came over to the paddock looking rather like a knight liege of old going to the lists, to joust for a rose. Jimmy Jones had him covered with a red and blue rug, the head and neck exposed, like the trappings of a war horse in Ivanhoe. He was accompanied by two grooms, walking on either side, and preceded by his lead pony, as he "schooled" through the lane of excited fans lining the stretch. Mr. Fitz also acquainted Bold Ruler with this strange scene. But, whereas it only put Iron Liege on his toes, it seemed to make the favorite rank, and he fought Arcaro in the early phases of the Derby, or until he got tired on the last turn. Arcaro Optimistic About Preakness Arcaro still likes Bold Ruler, and is optimistic about the Preakness, which is a sixteenth shorter, with a shorter stretch. Mr. Fitz may add blinkers to his equipment, but that is rather chancy. For Bold Ruler tends to loaf once in front, and a rival could conceivably "steal a march" on him. as Gallant Man almost did in the Wood. Iron Liege may have gotten a break in the Derby in the matter of track conditions. He could handle the somewhat cuppy going, indeed relishes soft footing, while several of Hartacks rival riders complained their mounts "could not get hold of the track." Gallant Man? "He can run up a tin roof," in the picturesque words of horsewise little Johnny Nerud. Now the scene of the American Triple Crown, the greatest show on the turf, has been transferred to Pimlico, which begins its Preakness meeting today. The situation on the Hilltop is fraught with exciting implications, after that eventful Derby. This is con-tageous and Lou Pondfield was saying just now how confident he is that the attendance a week from Saturday will surpass the 40,222 present when Assault won the race in 46. "All we need is the right weather," he says hopefully. As we write this, there is some little proselytizing for Gen. Duke, a premise that this colt, forced to miss the Derby, will join the field for the Preakness. We shall believe he will start when he has trained seriously for it, and comes out of his work satisfactorily. As Jimmy Jones remarked at Louisville last Friday, "Time runs out." For that matter, does Calumet need Gen, Duke? They certainly didnt Saturday. Turfana: Would you believe it, there are a few holdouts among the jockeys where the new and un-photogenic skull caps are concerned. Their vanity exceeds their common sense. We are reminded of an Continued on fee* Forto-Sev— CHURCHILL DOWNS By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Pag* Fir* incident in the jockeys quarters, before the first running of the Washington, D. C, International. Manny Mercer was regarding a skull cap with disdain, discussing this protective agent with Eddie Arcaro. To the Britons objections, Heady Eddie gave an unanswerable reply: "It is better than a hole in the head." Ludicrous as the headgear may appear, they "do something for a rider. . . . The Downs was the first to feature photos of the winners of its piece de resistance on the race cards. Needles, in full color, and with an extended pedigree, adorned the program this year. Howard Reineman, who sold Jota Jota for 0,000 after breeding her at Crown Crest, was among those enjoying Stevens "Derby breakfast, surrounding a distinguished steak. . . . Henry Watterson, an early employer of our cub reporter days, used to ride in gentleman jockey races at Churchill Downs. . . . "Brownie" Leach, an apparently inexhaustible researcher, discovers the Falls City Handicap was introduced at the first Downs meeting in 1875. . . . Monmouths Eddie Brennan and Barker Seeley had "Derby breakfast." Ditto the Paul Ebelhardts, up from Calumet, where he turns out championship contenders as if they came off an assembly line. Our recent reference to the late Damon Runyons sidekick, "Horse Thief," elicited a wire from Eddie Burke, the original, who manages the Gayety Musical Bar in Baltimore. . . . The New Orleans Fair Grounds Gar and Mrs. Moore stopped off to see the Derby on a vacation which will take them to Pimlico and points north. . . . Lou and Rose Pondfield planed back to Baltimore immediately the red board was flashed on the Derby result and the winner was invited to the Preakness. . . . The unseasonably chilly weather, which made topcoats quite fashionable, was in restraint of trade for the caterers, Joe Stevens noted philosophically.
