Evening star., 1938-07-14
.SANDE INDICATED
BY GRITTY STEED
Persuaded Howard to Buy
Unimpressive YearIing
From Widener.
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The star.

NEW YORK, July 14.-stagehand,
ranked at this writing q the best Of
the 3-yesr-olds, has come from behind
once more to grab the award. It seems
to be tho destiny Of Maxwell Howard's
1lne colt always to have two strikes
on him before he delivers, and while
this may be more than . tride rough
on the nerves Of his hackers, 1t gives
him one chance after another to prove
his gameness-and he never fails to
meet the test.
As . yearling in the barn Of Joseph
E. Widener, he didn't appear to rate
the famous Widener silks and was
tagged for sale. Earl Sande liked his
looks and persuaded Col. Howard to
buy him. As 2-year-old he didn't
win q race. and when he entered on
his 3-year-old campaign in California
last winter he was-so far as the
casual race-goer was concerned-just
. name on the program and a stable
mate Of Scheneshifter and The Chief.
But he came from behind to win the
Santa Anita Derby and then was
dropped into the Santa Anita Handi-
cap. Few believed he could win that
race. especially with the great Sea-
biscuit in there to match strides with
him. But. in a great stretch run-one
Of the greatest ever saw-he came
banging home to beat Seabiscuit and
all the others. He carried only 100
pounds that day to Seabiscuit's 100,
which made . difference, of course.
But he ran like . champion just the
same. and his victory established him
as the future book favorite for the
Kentucky Derby.
Out Of the Derby.
The day before the Derby he was
stricken With the cough that hit so
many horses 20 hard in the early
spring. That was . bitter disappoint-
ment to Sande. Three-time winner Of
the Derby as a Jockey, Earl had tried
to win 1t last year with Sceneshifter
and failed. This year-for he has had
great faith in the horse ever since he
hrst saw him-he was sure he could
win with Stagehand.
But. when the band played MY Old
Kentucky Home" and the horses came
out on the track that day and the
great crowd stood In silence. Stage.
hand was In his barn and his stable
mate, The Chief. had to start without
him. That was . terrific blow to
sande's ambitious program, for, II
stagehand had won the Derby. Earl
was going to shoot for the triple crown
with him. sending him after the
Preakness and the Belmont. s
The horses condition WAS such that
Earl had to cancel all his engage
ments for the immediate future. 30
Stagehand was in the barn when
Lawrin won the Derby. had Just about
stopped coughing week later when
Dauber won the Preakness. and WAS
swinging slowly back to training when
Pasteuri1ed won the Belmont.
A Changing Scene.
Meanwhile, the 3-year-old scene was
changing almost weekly, with no horse
standing out clearly for more than one
race at . time. BY the time the horses
reached Aqueduct it was The Chief
that captured attention. Stagehand.
ready to run again, but not yet In his
early spring stride. was entered with
The Chief in the Dwyer Stakes. The
Chief won and stasehand was lost in
the struggle. Then. in the Brook
lyn Handicap, The Chief won again.
This time Stagehand was second.
Some Of the critics thought Sande
had been wrong in ranking stagehand
over The Chief, but Earl stubbornly
insisted he was right.
"Give stagehand . chance and he'll
prove It," he said.
Running . race that was typical Of
him in the Brooklyn. stagehand had
come from . long way back to finish
second to his stablemate, and Sande
knew when he saw that that the horse
was about ready. Next time out, he
figured, stagehand would be right.
Last Saturday, in the Empire City
Handicap, stagehand delivered-And
in his usual fashion. Carrying 124
pounds over . mile and . furlong,
he turned IN q performance as i'm.