The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-05-25
TODANS SPORTAPARADE. Il SAA&$a6a
By HENRY McLEMORE

By HENRY McLEMOhE
 United Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, May 25.-(UP)-Never having had son and a grandson matched to run for $100000 I am in no real position to judge how Man O. War feels about the calling off of the race between son War Ad- miral and grandson Seabiscuit.
 If I hadn't read so much about the amazing behavior of Man O. War last year when War Admiral won the Kentucxy Derby, I would be inclined to think that Man O War wouldn't know about the race in the first place, and wouldn't care if it were called of, in the second.
 Horses generally aren't credited with keeping up with the news. Radio companies report very few sales to horses and an official of the Encyclopedia Britannica once told me that they would have to go out of business if they depended on horses for customers. Proof that very few horses know much about anything is the fact that up until the time the Belmont race was call- ed off yesterday not one horse had bought a ticket for the classic. If horses had enough sense to have known about this match there un- doubtedly would have been 10000 or 50,0OO of them eager to watch War Admiral and Seabiscuit go a mile and a quarter. After all, 1t shaped up as the biggest thing in volving horses to come along in years.
 Great Equine
 Man O War, however, must be a great exception to general horse dumbness. After the Derby last year I read patches of stories dealing with the remarkable actions of Man O War to the victory of his son, the Admiral. If these accounts of the doings on Faraway Farm that May afternoon were true (and I have no reason to doubt them) then Big Reds activities included these rather unusual performances for horse:
 He got up after a restless night and sent War Admiral a wire at Churchill Downs, wishing him luck and envying him the opportunity of running in that race-an opportun- ity he himself never had. When the bugle blew to bring the horses out on the track Man O. War pricked up his ears and raced with all his old time speed to a radio, which he had had set up in the bar.
 Another remarkable thing, accord ing to some of the stories, was that while Man O. War was listening to the radio he was, also, lowering over Churchill Downs to inspire his son to victory. At least three ob- servers described him quite clearly as he galloped, wraith-like, through the afternoon haze. Others saw him, in spirit, at least, waiting at the finish line to welcome his offspring and to congratulate Jockey Kurt singer on his fine ride. He was, in short, a very busy horse.
 Maybe
 If Seabiscuit's legs heal in time for him to meet War Admiral this summer, you undoubtedly will read some new descriptions of the activ- ities of Man O'War, and how he ran the gamut of equine emotions as his son and grandson battled down the stretch for the mane-and-tail cham pionship. Delight. affection, nerv- ous, and pride will be only few of the expressions that will chase one another across his finely chiseled face-his horse face.
 If the Admiral and the Biscuit do eventually come to grips I certainly would like to go to Kentucky and watch Man O Wars behavior. On second thought, I don't believe I would. If by any chance he just grazed and neighed and switched his tail while the race was being run, I doubt if I could stand the disillusionment.
 Because I was one of the fellows, I believe, who distinctly saw his spirit lowering over the backstretch at Churchill Downs year ago.
 Copyright 1888 by United Press)