Evening star., 1938-04-15
Seabiscuit Rated Fair Match for Admiral
COAST ACE NOTED
FOR STOUT HEART
Always Close Up, Even in
Defeat-Derby to Prove
Stagehand's Value.
By GRANTLAND RICE.

BY GRANTLAND RICE.
NEW YORK, April 15.-When you
happen to be beating it from one coast
to another at this spot on the calendar
there generally are two arguments or
debates that take up most OF the talk:
/. What teams will win the two
major league pennants?
2. Who'll win the heavyweight
championship?
For the first time in 20 years. along
a travelling stretch of some 5000 miles
that included Los Angeles, Chicago,
Miami, Augusta and up the Eastern
coast, there was another argument
chucked in-"What about War Ad-
miral and Seabiscuit? And what about
stagehand?"
Not since Man o. Wars winning
prime has there been so much talk
about possible horse race-or as
much color around the track. The
Admiral. Seabiscuit and Stagehand
have stolen good-sized chunk of the
spring show when it comes to debating
societies that stir up high east winds
IN hotel lobbies or Pullman smokers.
Admiral Leads on Records.
In the official or unofficial scoring
kept by your correspondent from day
to day in regard to any matched race,
War Admiral took the lead. Seabiscuit
had an edge on the Western Coast,
where they know him best, but the
count for War Admiral moved up from
=
include Kentucky, where they've never
seen him beaten. But it's not an easy
guess.
Seabiscuit has to carry prohibitive
veights-and he's rarely had any of
the best of racing luck Against this
you might add that War Admiral
makes his own racing luck by taking
the lead and holding it. There can
be little interference when there's no
one in front.
There's another edge War Admiral
has-he can run on any track. Sea-
biscuit can't handle the mud.
I've seen Seabiscuit run in five
races-War Admiral in only two. My
conglomerate view of Sea biscuit shows
him being beaten by photo finish.
I've seen him win only once-but he
was always there. nose and nose. carry
ing more weight or picking up some
form of trouble. As Herbert Bayard
Swope puts it, The test of a cham
pion is that he needs no alibis or
excuses"
Seabiscuit Truly Great.
Yet against Stagehand I saw Sea-
biscuit. carrying l30 pounds against
100 pounds, with a strange Jockey on
his back, break his own and the track
record after hard humping near the
start. Only great horse could do
that.
Given fast track in two or three
horse race, carrying 126 pounds for
ID miles. it would take close to 2
minutes fat to beat the big Biscuit.
1t would be driving finish with little
choice left
War Admirals supporters figure the
Eastern horse would hand Seabiscuit
too fast an early and middle pace to
leave the Western entry any chal-
lenglng speed down the stretch. I |
doubt that this would happen. Sea-
biscuit hasn't tackled a War Admiral
yet, but he has tackled his share of
beating hoofs down the stretch which
were moving close to record time
Rosemont, Aneroid, Pompoon, Stage
hand. to mention only a few.
I don't think any one will have to |
worry about Seabiscuit not being in the
general neighborhood when they come |
to the wire.
What about Stagehand in this argu-
ment?
Stagehand, probably the greatest
under-3-year-old. hasn't won the Ken
lucky Derby yet. If Earl Sandes
thoroughbred wins this classic he
should be included in a race that
might take its place amid the shining
purple Of all time.
Stagehand Remarkable Colt.
You might recall the fact that Joe
Louis was the greatest 21-year-old
fighter that ever lived. But it takes
more time than a year to prove a
champion.
Stagehand won't be years old
until some time in late April or May.
Yet he won the Santa Anita Derby and
the Santa Anita 100000 Handicap.
These two hard races may have taken
something out of his system. Earl
Sande doesn't think SO, but you never
can tell about thes kids.
Stagehand is a remarkable kid. A
few out West had the idea that, If
Seabiscuit ever looked him in the eye
down the stretch it would be all over.
But I'll let Seabiscuit, War Admiral
or Man O. War look him in the eye
down the STRICKLAND there'll still be
no curling up.
Stagehand isn't the fastest starter in
the world. 1t might be that War
Admiral and Seabiscuit would open up
too much space-War Admiral, any,
way. But, unless Stagehand has
dipped trif1e. neither one had better
let him on the stretch running at
even terms at proper weights.
Stagehand. however, still has to win
the big Derby at Churchill Downs in
May. That race isn't over yet. In
20-horse race anything can happen
and there will be at least half a dozen
entries which also can move around q
track in pretty fair time
Copyright. 1888. by the North Amerisan
Newspaper Alliance, 1nc.)