Evening star., 1940-04-20
Distance Of Classic
Deemed Favorable
10 Howard Horse
Able Training by Smith
Hos Made Big Colt
Remarkable Racer
BY ROBERT HENRY.

Remarkable Racer
BY ROBERT HENRY.
Until recently we figured that Col.
E. r. Bradley's colt, Bimelech,
would win the 66th Kentucky Derby
on May 4, but this somewhat over
looked western runner, Midland,
has captured our fancy. We believe
now that he will win the mile and
quarter $4,000 event.
So what? Well, nothing, except
that after we tell you little about
him we think you may agree.
Bimelech, of course, is the hot choice
to bring Col. Bradley his fifth Derby,
but we doubt that he'll be the un-
beaten colt he was last year when
the son of Black Toney galloped OF
with six stakes and $l35,000.
Only 80 post-time favorites have
won the Derby, and unless the un-
foreseen happens Big Bim will be
the peoples choice when the barrier
goes up.
But We'll take Midland. He's our
type of Derby horse-a stretch run
ner. Most Derby winners are those
long -striding route runners who
don't warm up till the race is half
over. Such colts as Reign Count,
Cavalcade, Twenty Grand and Oma-
ha were this type, and they made q
rout of their Derbies. None of them,
in fact, became truly great until
his 3-year-old season, when allowed
to race 10 and IL furlongs. These
quick-starting 2-year-old colts very
seldom amount to much later in
their careers, and while we don't
put Bimelech in this category, it's
our thought that he will have much
trouble holding his superiority of
last year.
Midland Well Trained.
Midland has much to offer. The
fact that he's owned by Charles S.
Howard won't help him when the
bell rings, but in a way it means
something. Howard seems to be
blessed with strange luck. He
bought Seabiscuit for $1,000, and
that former platter ended his career
the greatest money winner of all
time. Howard paid about the same
sum for yearling colt named Kay
ak II and has seen that Argentine
turn into one of Americas greatest
handicap horses And last winter
Howard bought Mioland-for a re-
ported $4,000. Just as Seabiscuit
and Kayak improved greatly as they
carried the Howard silks, so has
Midland improved.
There's reason for these How
ard horses to improve the way they
do. 1t can't be just luck-or "one
of those things" It's Tom Smith,
trainer for Howard. He's the man
responsible for the astounding sue
cess of Howard's color bearers.
Right now Smith says that Midland
will win the Derby. A lot of train
ers these days say their own horses
will win the Derby, but only one of
them is going to be right. But
when Smith says his horse will win
we take notice.
Howard Horse Strong.
In the first place, Smith is not
the type of man to make rash pre-
dictions. He knows what he's talk
ing about-usually. And he also
knows horses. His long experience
out West with all types of horses
has given him canny insight into
capabilities of thoroughbreds. So
when he says that Midland will win
the Derby we are inclined to think
so, too.
Just because Midland is virtually
unknown is no reason why he won't
win the Louisville special. Many
other Derby winners were unknown
less than month before they made
good. Midland has many earmarks
of a Derby winner. He's big and
strong, and, according to a recent
workout at Hollywood Park, he's
fast as the wind. The Derby weight
OF 126 pounds does not figure to
stop him, and that IA miles will
be right down his alley.
Satisfied that he has the best two
handicap horses in the land in Sea-
biscuit and Kayak II, Howard last
winter looked around for a likely
3-year-old prospect. He and Train
er Smith spied Midland, a bay colt
bred and owned by H. w. Ray of
Oregon. Midland only had a fair
record last year. He had started
five times and won three races. But
his record revealed great stretch
running power, and this appealed to
Howard and Smith. After some
pickering Howard shelled out is
grand and led the colt home.
improvement Is Steady.
Since then Midland has moved
up in company with fair success.
In six starts he has won two races
and $4,000. His last race was
victory in the San Juan Capistrano,
in which the son of Mic d'Arezzo
came from far back to score with
ease. Before that in the Santa
Anita Derby, Midland came from
last place to be running over horses
at the end to finish a close fourth.
Mic d'Arezzo, incidentally, is a
German Importation and once rated
tops among 2-year-olds of that
country. Iolanda, dam of Midland,
goes back to The Tetrach, fastest
horse ever to race in England.
We may be wrong, but if Midland
continues to improve as we expect
him to, Howard not only will have
the best handicap horse In the land
in Kayak II but also the next Ken
lucky Derby winner and 3-year-old
champion. No fooling.
Hart Ic0n;n n,