Evening star., 1939-07-23
BY MAX HILL.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

, NEW YORK, July 22.-Many Of
the boys who clutter up Broadway
and frown over the form sheets at
the horse parks have forgotten by
now about a stout brown Through
bred who once was king Of the turf.
Their minds are ever on the next
race or which horse won the last.
It's War Admiral. Of course, that
we are talking about, the son of
Man O. War and the tiny mare,
Brushup. He's picked up his earn
ings of almost $2750O0 and is back
in the blue grass country Of Ken
lucky, where he was foaled, there
to carry on next year as sire.
The Admiral had that vague quail
ity called class as juvenile, but he
was far from ruling the roost.
Trainer George Conway, ever cau-
tious with his charges, brought him
along slowly yet with such skill that
of his six races as a 2-year-old he
won three.
After that he went into winter
quarters at Glen Riddle Farm In
Maryland and those who profess to
know about such things sadly re-
marked that it was too bad he was
such a little fellow, more like his
dam than his sire, and that if he
grew a good bit he might have some
sort of chance.
Fourth to Get Triple Crown.
Little did they know then that
those that beat him. and others. too,
would be paid back in full by trounc-
ings the next year. or that most Of
them in front of him in 1886 wouldn't
even be remembered now. Bottle
Cap, who went wrong, and Fairly
Hill, for instance. Pompoon made
his mark later, but he had to play
second fiddle to the Admiral all
through the 3-year-old classics.
1t was then that the Man O. War
rior was at the top Of his form,
and his proud owner, aged and all
ing Sam Riddle, took a flrmer grip
on life once again. And so he should,
for his gallant colt was the fourth
thoroughbred in history to wear the
triple crown, as the Kentucky Derby,
Maryland's Preakness and the Bel
mont Stakes are known. It's select
roster, that, with only Sir Barton,
Gallant Fox and Omaha there be-
sides him.
This gets bit ahead of the story,
but such was the reputation Of the
Admiral through his triumphs that
most owners steered their good
colts and fillies away from his path.
They say down in Miami that Max
well Howard sagely remarked he
didn't want any OF his horses
Chasing that electric rabbit" and
so he shipped Stagehand from Hia-
leah to California.
Pressed in Preakness.
It turned out to be right smart
move for the stretch-running son
Of Sickle-Stagecraft won the $780,
900 Santa Anita Derby and went on
to confound the handicappers by
knocking of older horses, among
them Sea Biscuit, in the 100000
handicap.
The Derby was easy for the Ad-
miral, for he went to the front, and
the others, outside of Pompoon,
were barely within shouting dis
tance at the finish. That was ever
the Admiral's way-he ran the lUes
off the opposition and then coasted.
But in the Preakness Pompoon
made him work for his money. The
Admiral was out there winging, as
usual, by the time they hit the
first turn, but coming into the
stretch Charley Kurtsinger took
him a bit wide, and Wayne Wright
Rugged the rail, which after all is
the shortest way home.
Down the stretch they came. neck
and neck. Wright was driving and
whipping Pompoon. Kurtsinger
just crouched low over the Admiral's
sweaty neck. Once he waved his
whip to let the colt know he had
one, but never did he use 1t.
Shows Heart in Belmont.
After the race, as they were pull
ing up around the old clubhouse
turn. Kurtsinger and Wright were
close together and they turned their
heads and talked. 1t seemed from
a distance that they were asking
mutual question, who won it?" for
the finish was photo.
That wasn't it, at all, for after
ward the lads talked with Dave
Woods, q director at Pimlico, and
Wright explained that this was ap-
proximately what he said:
He'll (Pompoon never beat the
Admiral Some horse"
No doubt Kurtsinger was Of the
same opinion.
Pompoon and the Admiral came
on to New York to meet once again
in the Belmont, and there 1t was
that the Admiral showed he was
all heart and possessed Of courage
and the will to win, no matter the
cost.
AS they came out of the gate the
Admiral struck the quarter OF his
right forefoot and sheared of a
patch of the hoof. Blood spurted
each time the foot hit the track,
and the Admiral came back to the
winners circle with his belly drop
ping blood.
Even so he equaled the American
record for a mile and half and