Evening star., 1938-11-01
Pim|ico Race
Due 10 Draw
40,000Fans
Track Fost, Admiral
Is 3-5 Choice for
Turf Classic
fSee Win, Lose or DrdtD, Page
CT, for additional information on
fGce,)
BY CHARLES M. EGAN,
Star Stan CORRESPONDENT.

Star Stan Correspondent.
PIMLICO RACE TRACK, Balti-
more, Md, Nov. 1.-The gods were
smiling on Alfred Gwynne Wander
bilt this afternoon as more than
10000 race fans assembled early for
the horse battle of the century-the
meeting of War Admiral and Sea-
biscuit.
Young Vanderbilt, up-and -ocming
vice president of the Maryland
Jockey Club, not only got the go
ahead" signal. which meant the
track was suitable for the race be-
tween the two champions, but aslo
got a break in the weather which
seemingly assured that all crowd
records for the ancient hilltop
track would be broken.
With warm sun shining down
and cooperating in one of the
swellest days of the fall, all roads
led to Pimlico and hundreds were
on hand by the time the gates
opened at 10 am. An hour later,
when the special windows were open
to handle early bets on the big race,
there were as many present as there
are on lots OF ordinary racing days.
War Admiral Favorite.
The early betting did little to alter
the general belief that War Admiral
Samuel D. Riddles year old
champion, would be the crowds IA
vorite over the Cinderella horse
Chorlec G uou,or5,c ,-aor ala Ca,
biscuit.
Most of the crowd in the press
box, which housed a record number
of newspapermen from all sections
OF the country, seemed to agree that
The Admiral would be no better than
3 to S and might 60 as low as l to Q
Seabiscuit, in that case, probably
would be 7 or 8 to S.
After solid year of arguments
and pickering, the match became
official at $50 am. when Jervis
Spencer, jr., chairman of the Mary
land Racing Commission, surveyed
the track and pronounced it fast
This was no overeStlmate either, anC
it was a good bet that the track
record of the mile and three six
teenths would be broken when the
two champions get started abou,
$50 pm.
The present record is 1:56 As, es-
tablished by Pompoon last spring
with 118 pounds up. The Admiral
and his great rival each will carry
120 pounds this afternoon and both
have proved their supremacy over
Pompoon.
Prestige at Stake.
With Chairman Spencer giving his
o. K. to the track, the owners of the
two champions must have their
horses on the track for the sixth
race or forfeit $5,000-and about a
million dollars worth of prestige.
So it seemed certain that young
Vanderbilt is putting over for
$4,000 the race that all the wise
men of the turf said couldn't be
staged at any price. Belmont Park
most fashionable of American tracks
certainly had no luck in its $1OO, 900
effort last Spring.
Both horses are as fit as human
hands can make them, according to
the guarded statements of the two
trainers, George Conway, who
handles the Riddle horse, and old
Tom Smith, who has charge of the
Biscuit Each of these old-timers
has great respect for the others
horse, and each is about as talkative
as clam.
The two owners, who are under
stood to have made a sizable wager
between themselves, also had little
to say. The only statements of con-
fldence came from the two riders,
Charley Kurtsinger and George
Woolf.
KurtSinger, who has ridden the
Admiral in most of his big victories,
has maintained all along that the
race will be cinch for the Riddle
horse.
Woolf, who is substituting for his
anjured buddy, Red Pollard, Is just
as confident about the Biscuit. He
has ridden the Howard horse more
than half dozen times since Pol
lard was injured last spring.
Pollard to See Race.
Pollard, who has been convalescine
In New England, was to be in the
Howard box this afternoon-broker
leg and all.
Although it was reported that
Hollywood was sending a good-sizec
delegation of movie stars-they're al
wild about the Biscuit due to the
way he has run at Santa Anita
they were hard to find in the hug.
crowd.
George Raft. Pat O'Brien and A,
Jolson were all supposed to be or
hand, but this could not be verified
early In the afternoon.
1t also was rumored that the
movie colony was sending a large
bundle of cash to back the Biscuit
This is probably true and should be
evident in the totalisator when the
real betting starts on the big race.
BY l o'clock, when the afternoon's
program got under way with the
running of the Battleship Steeple.
chase Handicap, it seemed CERTAIN,
that all Pimlico's records for ut.
tendance and wagering would &c
by the board.
The steeplechase race, incident
ally, was named in honor of Battle
ship, the little jumper owned by
Mrs. Randolph Scott of the nearby
Virginia horse country, who won
the British Grand National last
spring. y