Evening star., 1939-05-06
Cha||edon Alone
Rated Menace
To Favorite
Fair Chance to Grab
Portion Of Purse Is
Given xoIopo Clown
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star,

Special Correspondent OF The Star.
LOUISVILLE, KY, May (N.A.
NA0.-Here is the latest flash
from the maple-guarded borders Of
Churchill Downs, home Of the Ken
lucky Derby for ga years and where
a milling throng of 10000 was ex-
pected to watch the 65th running
of the Blue Grass classic today.
This flash comes from Earl Sande,
great jockey and as great q
trainer, stepped in Derby lore.
"If the Derby runs to class and
form" said Earl, III 1t doesn't rain
and bring on a muddy or cuppy
track, 1 like Johnstown to win,
with Challedon In close pursuit on
through to the wire. These are the
two top horses OF the race. Both
have speed and stamina and these
are the two qualities that count"
What about your horse?" I asked
Earl, who is training Heather
Broom.
IAN outside chance" he said.
About the same chance that Tech
nician, Xalapa Clown and possibly
Ell Chico have. There is very
good chance that Johnstown will
prove to be great horse-another
Twenty Grand. II he isn't great
horse, Challedon can beat him, and
some of us on the outside now
might move right into the middle
of the show As the case stands,
with a cloudless sky over our heads,
form and class must go to Johns
town and Challedon. They are the
standouts."
Hold Faith in Challedon.
I had last-minute pre-Derby talks
with Herbert Woolf. the owner. and
Ben Jones, the trainer Of Techni-
clan, one of the early favorites.
Both like the horse, but neither be-
lieved Technician could run with
Johnstown on a fast track. They |
were looking to blue Kentucky
heavens for rain.
Owner w. L. Brann and Trainer
Lou Schaefer still were staunchly
back of Challedon, the big Mary
land thoroughbred that can run
and stick. They asked no quarter
from the heavens above or the track
below. They were willing to take
the race as run. They stood with
their horse, whatever the conditions.
Moving from stable to stable,
talking with owners and trainers |
and workout boys, I found strong
support for that gangling. long
legged xalapa Clown. which may
be handicapped with sore knee.
His workout boy said, "Mr. Rice,
that Clown runs like female tur-
key-always in hurry to get there,
no matter how she looks. We put
1873 pounds on him and worked the !
Derby route in 2:10. That Clown
just loves to run. He's big and fast
and strong. I can't say he'll win,
but he'll be out there shooting. |
You'll see him moving along that
stretch
1t Still Was Johnstown.
Matt Brady still kept his faith in
Ell Chico, the horse that has beaten |
Johnstown more than once. But |
only as a 2-year-old. Strange things
happen as they pack on another
year. 1t might even be that Johns
town can handle a heavy track
Brady was to send Ell Chico out with
all he had-at top speed. Should
Johnstown accept the challenge,
Challedon was expected to have a
better chance in that last sixteenth.
Sande figured Heather Broom had
only an outside chance. A better
chance on heavy track.
So there they stood-Johnstown,
the smoking hot favorite-on a fast |
track-Challedon, the main and
most dangerous challenger-Xalapa
Clown and Technician in behind-El
Chico, the problem child that must
prove he can go the distance.
On slow or muddy track. Chal-
ledon would have the call, with !
Technician and Xalapa Clown NOV |
ing up-especially the long-legged
Clown.
There was only faint chance that
any outsider could collar such horses
as Johnstown and Challedon-Xa-
lapa Clown or Technician. Anything |
can happen in horse race, but we
now are talking of class and form
that belong to derby, to stake
classic. I aimed to ride with Johns
town and Challedon at one-two.