Evening star., 1936-04-25

wire As time went on Winn became
power in the turf world, and prob
ably more than any other man was
responsible for holding the broken
lines together as adverse legislation
threatened to make racing only a
memory. Now, as executive director
Of the Downs, Col. Winn can look
upon the Derby Of the present as his
own handiwork.
When the Derby field lines up,
friendly though the rivalry may be,
it's the Kentucky hardboots against
the world, for in this stake the Blue
grass horsemen look upon themselves
as a defending army, facing chal-
lengers from the outside that are to
be repulsed at any cost.
Fittingly, one Of their own, E. r.
Bradley of Lexington, leads all owners,
with four Derby victories to his credit,
but Bradley was graying before Be-
have Yourself came into the winners
circle with the green and white silks
of Idle Hour in 1921, for the first of
the stables triumphs.
That was win calculated to give
Bradley a good-sized headache.
THE COLONEL was high that year
on Black Servant, and backed his
judgment in the Winter books ac-
cordingly. Comes Derby day, and
Lucien Lyke, Bradley's first-string
rider, is riding Black Servant, while
Behave Yourself draws c. Thompson,
son of H. j. (Dick) Thompson, astute
Bradley trainer. The latter combi-
nation is just supposed to be part of
the decorative scheme for q Black
Servant triumph.
But young Mr.. Thompson had a
secret ambition to show the world
that while Lyke might be regarded as
the last word among riders, no Thomp-
son should ever be overlooked, and
he Immediately proceeded to put his
idea into practice when a glance over
his shoulder disclosed that the two
Bradley horses had the race between
them an eighth from the finish. In
whipping drive that would have done
credit to Workman, the Thompson
hopeful rode to i'll fame on Behave
Yourself and Bradley kissed small
fortune good-by.
The name of c. Thompson was
conspicuously absent from racing news
thereafter.
The gloved warfare between hard
boots and outsiders was at fever heat
in the war year-1918-andi it was o
sore disappointment when the little
thought-of Exterminator splashed
through the mud to head Escoba,
owned by Kenneth D. Alexander, in
duel in which the margin of victory
was credited then more to Willie
Knapp's riding superiority over Joe
Notter than to Exterminator's bril-
lance.
But, as it developed, those who
saw that race were watching "Old
Bones" start the climb that was to
rank him with the greatest handicap
performers of all times.
It was wise old Henry Mcdaniel
who early sensed Exterminator' great
ness, and had w. S. Kilmer put out
$4,000 for the colt for which J. C.
(CaD Milan had paid $1,000 at the
Saratoga yearling sales. Sun Briar had
gone wrong on Mcdaniel almost on
the eve Of the Derby, and Kilmer,
anxious to see his colors In the race,
had instructed the trainer to look
about for q substitute. Exterminator
closed at almost 30-1, one Of the long
est prices in Derby history, but Nc
Daniel was not fooled.
THAT was one occasion on which
q Derby investment showed . re.
turn and Mrs. Silas Mason almost
duplicated Kilmer's feat in 1893 when
she paid $4,000 to Willie Crump for
Head Play, only to see him lose at
the wire to Brokers Tip, from the
Bradley barns, when Don Meade, on
Brokers Tip, and Herb Fisher, her
own boy staged their well-remembered
Donnybrook through the stretch. As
it was. Head Play demonstrated his
worth by winning the Preakness the
following week, while Brokers Tip ran
last-his customary position both be-