Evening star., 1940-02-13
From the
Press Box
BimeIech to Make Force
Of Derby, Bockers Soy
BY JOHN LARDNER,

BY JOHN LARDNER,
Special. Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, Feb. Is (N.ANA).-
In Kentucky-and In many way
stations of the racing world-they
say it is shame to send those other
3-year-old horses out there on the
track with Bimelech on Derby day
in Louisville, because it may humili-
ate them and break their spirits to
such an extent that they never will
60 out on track again.
That is what the Bradley rooters
say in the full fury of their winter
confidence. They admit that q
busted leg or a grabbed quarter be-
tween now and May might hurt
Bimelech's chances. At least, some
of them do. The more radical hard
boots will tell you that Bimelech on
three legs is more than a match for
the field.
This epidemic of jingoism is based
partly upon the fact that Bimelech
is Col. Edward Riley Bradley's
favorite 3-year-old of all the years.
What the colonel says, the hard
boots Of Kentucky believe.
United Winter Bookmokers
Wonted to Gust Kentucky
They were with him to a man the
year he backed Bubbling Over for
$4,000 in the winter books. This
not only was Bradley killing-at
z and 8 to but an all-around
hardboot killing. The day after the
race the United Winter Bookmakers
OF America introduced bill in
Congress to bar Kentucky from the
Union, thus hoping to preclude q
payof which they shuddered to con-
template.
The same circumstances held true
IN the case of the other Bradley
winners of the Derby-with the pos
sible exception of Brokers Tip. In
Brokers Tips year Col. Bradley
found himself acutely embarrassed
by the loyalty of the people of Ken
lucky to him and his cause.
The colonel was not very high on
Brokers Tip, which came up to the
Derby a maiden-a non-winner-
and a pretty ordinary looking
maiden at that.
Just a horse" said the colonel,
struggling his shoulders. This
doesn't look like my year."
The hardboots took the colonel's
word for it, though a few of them
probably got down at the future
odds of 40 to ! which were freely
quoted against this dismal animal.
The rest Of Kentucky waited
patiently for the colonel's next word
on the subject. If he didn't like
his own horse, who did he like?
Brokers Tip Only Horse
To Cross Colonel ...
A day or so before the race Col.
Bradley was pressed by interviewers
to pick winner-any winner-for
publication. The colonel obliged by
picking the favorite. For all the
public knew, he was giving Brokers
Tip the back Of his hand.
You probably remember the race.
Brokers Tip had Don Meade up.
He got off flying, to the consterna-
ton OF all hands, and came down
the stretch neck, and neck with
Head Play, ridden by Fisher. In
the stretch, Fisher and Meade dis
played a keen mutual antipathy.
They exchanged cuss words and
blows OF the whip. They jockeyed
along. fighting every step of the
way, and when they galloped under
the wire, Brokers Tip had his nose
In front-owing, some said, to
Meade's presence of mind in grab
bing Head Plays nose and pushing
1t back.
The result surprised Col. Bradley
as much as any one else. It sur
priSed the hardboots, but they took
1t calmly, allowing that the colonel
had underrated his horse and that
the field was worse than he thought.
except for one contrary citizen, who
uttered q beef.
IT would have bet on your horse. !"
he wrote the colonel, but you said
he couldn't win, so I bet $40 on the
favorite, and I lost"
BimeIech Must Overcome
Jinx Of Champions
The colonel put $40 in an envelope
and sent it to the plaintiff. A week
later the Bradley Judgment was vim
dicated when Brokers Tip ran q
good last in the Preakness. He
never won q race before or after the
Derby.
This Bimelech, of course, is no
Brokers Tip. Bimelech is well bred,
unbeaten as a 2-year-old, fast as
they come and slayer. He GER
tainly looks the money from here.
It may well be that Bradley's last
good foal-the colonel Is 80 years old
is his best.
He has the jinx of 2-year-old
champions to beat. Juvenile champs
like Dominant, Eternal, Pompey,
Ladysman, Singing Wood, Menow
and Ell Chico got nowhere when they
tried the Derby. Also, no winner
of the Belmont Futurity ever has
won the Derby and Bimelech won
the Futurity In q breeze last year.
"But those jinxes don't 60 for
Bradley" the hardboots say. 'This
race is Bimelech, Bimelech and
Bmelech."
Up till now, that's how it looks.
Ann%na~orv p1n:.Esr1e