Evening star., 1939-03-19
Great Honor Earned
By Only 4 Colts
Over Long Span
Few Of Sturs Nominated
For All ; Big Race
Classics This Year
BY MAX HILL.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press sports Writer.
NEW YORK. March 18.-The
elusive triple crown of the turf-a
pot of gold worth close to $1500OO
which through the years has been
worn by only four stout colts seems
well out of reach of any of the cur
rent crop of 3-year- -olds, good as
they may turn out to be.
First comes Kentucky's historic
Derby on May 6. Then the Freak
ness pride of Maryland, on May 13,
and finally the Belmont Stakes,
toughest of all for it's at a mile and
half early in June.
Until 1919 no colt, or filly, either,
ever got home in front in all three.
That was Sir Bartons year of
glory, and II years rolled by before
Gallant Fox turned the trick again.
William Woodward, chairman of the
Jockey Club and proud owner of
the Fox. saw his home-bred colt,
Omaha, repeat the triumph in 1895.
War Admiral came along two
years later to delight his old and
ailing owner, Samuel D. Riddle, and
to add new luster to Man O. Wars
fame as sire. That completes the
select roster.
Ell Chico is Brady's Hope.
Matt Brady, the genial Irishman
who handles Ell Chico for William
Ziegler, is one of the few trainers
who has the right to hope-on
Juvenile form at least-that he
might have a triple crown winner
In his barn.
He isn't making any secret of
his confidence IN the undeteated
son of John P. Grier La Chica,
and that's unusual In trainers for
usually they won't even give you
the time of day.
The 3-year-old situation this year
is more tangled than usual, and
many of the better colts and fillies
haven't even got to the post yet
that Is those that were good as
2-year- r-olds. A filly and a colt that
didn't do much as juveniles already
have come to the fore-Ciencia and
Technician.
There's bit of hocus-pocus going
on about Ciencia, the filly who set a
lot Of top-flight colts back on their
heels IN the Santa Anita Derby.
Max Hirsch, her trainer, says he
mailed her Derby nomination in
before the deadline. Col. Matt
Winn shrugs his broad shoulders
and says that it hasn't arrived. He
fervently hopes, though, that some
body finds that letter for it isn't
often that he has filly in his lists
with more than an outside chance
Fillies' Record Is Weak.
Two fillies, Rhine Maiden and
Nellie Morse, have won the Freak
ness, and one, Regret, has the Derby
to her credit. That about sums up
the chance of the average filly. The
late Walter Vosburgh used to say
that when a filly beats colts in the
spring you can depend on it that
you've got bad lot of colts.
A couple of last years better
colts, Volitant and Eight Thirty. are
out Of the nominations and that's
hard to understand. Volitant's in
the Preakness but Eight Thirty. the
George D. Widener color bearer.
wasn't named for any of them. He
still can slip into the Preakness, but
that doesn't help much on the other
two.
Col. E. r. Bradley, who once
shocked an inquisitive Senator by
= describing himself as a gambler. has
Benefactor, his top 3-year -old, eligi-
BILE all the way around. The shrewd
master of Idle Hour Farm doesn't
take chances like that. He has four
successful derbies, more than any
other man, tucked away in his mem
cries ard a fifth victory might
crease into smile that bleak face
he has trained to show no emotion.
Technician Held Threat.
Benefactor, like most of the Brad
ley horses. is home bred, a son of
Blue Larkspur- -Patroness. whose
poor performance in Belmont's
Futurity last fall must have disap-
pointed the old colonel nightly. His
famous green and white didn't come
charging out of the pack that day.
They were back there in the ruck.
Down in Florida. Ben Jones has
Technician following in Lawrin's
footsteps for Herbert M. Woolf's
Woolford Farm.
1t won't be long before Alfred G..
Vanderbilt is back at Sycamore
Farm In Maryland with Impound,
who ran third in the Santa Anita
Derby behind Ciencia and xalapa
Clown, and Adventurer. He paid
small fortune for Adventurer in the
Saratoga sales ring. and never has
been able to get him to the post.
Vanderbilt's hopes, of course, CEN
ter in the Preakness. for he has made
the Pimlico classic the richest of all
stakes for 3-year-olds. He hasn't
had a ranking 3-year-old since Dis
covery carried his colors, but may
hap Impound is the one to change
his luck.
Belmont Is Oldest.
Down through the years. Ken
tuckians have taken the Derby to
their hearts, and that's what VAN
derbilt has in mind for the Freak
ness, not that it isn't already the
best race In the country to any
Free Slater. They are just as in
dignant as the Blue Grass folk
when reporters have the temerity
,(such as now) to mention them in
the same breath. That's only nat
ural.
The Derby is wrapped up in the
personality of Col. Vim. who has
seen all of the ga Derbies run so
far and isn't making an excep-
ton of the coming renewal, which
he thinks will draw a crowd of
100000 persons.
Belmont's Stake is more in the
English tradition of racing, and
Joseph E. Widener hews closer to
the line of the old classic in the
conditions his track has required
Ill