Evening star., 1940-01-05
Sponsor of Five Pin 7ems Dutch Shaer Forms Another for Special Matches
The
SPoRTLIGHT
ChuIIedon Removes All
Doubt Of Supremacy
By GRANTLAND RICE,

in the great crowd that saw
Johnstown win by eight lengths
from Challedon in the Kentucky
Derby there were two who looked
on, unbelieving. One was w. L.
Brann, who bred Challedon at his
Glade Valley Farm in Maryland
and the other was Louis Schaefer,
his trainer. Mr.. Brann was sure
even then that he had the best s.
year-old on the American turf and
while he took that defeat at
Churchill Downs like the sportsman
he is, he was confident that when
the colts hooked up again in the
Preakness, Challedon would win.
There already was a rumor going
about that Johnstown couldn't run
in the mud. Nobody knew for GER
tain, whether he could or not-not
even William Woodward nor Jim
Fitzsimmons. Fitz never had
worked the colt purposely in the
mud, although on muddy mornings
he had worked well enough. AS 2
year-old he had run on tracks that
were fast or at least good. AS a s.
year -old, he had flown to brilliant
victories in the Woodhaven, the
Wood Memorial and the Derby on
fast tracks.
Yet the rumor - the half-fOrmed
belief-was there. And everybody
knew Challedon could run in the
mud-or in any kind of going, be-
cause Mr.. Brann is impatient with
horses that, as horsemen say, must
carry their tracks around with
them. His horses have to be able
to run on dry tracks or veto take
conditions as they find them-and
60 to town. If they can't. Mr..
Brann gets rid of them as quickly
as possible.
Few Believed Maryland Stor
Had Chonce on Dry Strip
The night before the Preakness,
they were looking at the sky over
Baltimore and wondering If it would
rain-wondering if it would come
up and give Challedon the edge
they thought he needed. On dry
track, they figured. Johnstown was
q virtual cinch. At the Maryland
Club and around the hotels, I met
few who thought Challedon had a
chance.
"Unless," they'd always add, ut
comes up mud"
There were three other colts and
4 filly in the race-Gilded Knight,
out of the Wheatley Stable, and, so,
because he was trained by Jim Fitz-
simmons, coupled with Johnstown
In the betting; the Saratoga Stables
Volitant Alfred Vanderbilt's I'M
pound and lone filly, Ciencia, from
the King Ranch. But to hear every
body talk about it, you would have
thought it was practically a match
race between Johnstown and Chal-
ledon: Johnston on a fast track
and Challedon in the mud.
Roce Pulled From Under Him.
Bio John Finishes in Ruck
Came morning-and rain. Not a
downpour, but a steady drip from
the skies that made the track heavy
and then muddy. Johnstown still
was the favorite, but there was a
rush to Challedon as the rain came
down harder. Through the earlier
races the crowd huddled in the
stand or under it. But when the
band played Maryland, My Mary
land" and the PreakneSs horses
came out the crowd came out, too,
jamming the sodden lawn and, i'm
pervious to the rain, hugging the
rail
They were at the post briefly and
then they were off. Down the long
stretch they came, past the stand
and there was JohnstoWn out in
front, his ears laid back, his neck
stretched and his hoofs flying In
that long, smooth rhythm. Behind
him was Gilded Knight-with Jim
my Stout riding Johnstown and
Ruperto Donoso, the Chilean jockey,
aboard Gilded Knight. Somewhere
In the pack Challedon was slogging
through the mud under snug hold
by George Seabo.
Round the turn they went and
UlCll, Oll tllC D0IhoOl Ct<lA, OoAAAAoVS"AA
hung. The rhythm of his stride
was broken and his hoofs skidded
in the mud. Gilded knight, press
ing him hard when the break came,
was beside him in an instant-and
in front of him the next. Behind
them the field pounded. At the top
of the stretch, suddenly, Challedon
pulled up on them. Pulled up and
held there and then, as they hit
the stretch, passed Johnstown-
passed Gilded Knight-and now was
In front.
Gilded Knight hung on, but
Johnstown had run his race. The
mud had pulled his race out from
under him and he was foundering
and lost and Volitant came rushing
by-and that's the way they flashed
under the wire: Challedon the win
ner, Gilded Knight second, Vol-
tant third-and Johnstown caught
In the swirl of the horses behind
them.
Stout Knew Soon After Stort
His Mount Was Beoten
Johnstown, as have said, seemed
TO be running we'll when he passed
the stand in the first rush from the
gate-seemed to be holding his lead
as he went up the backstretch. Later
I talked to Stout and Fitzsimmons.
Il knew he was gone almost as
soon as the race got under way"
Stout said. "He began to slip in that
first rush."
Il didn't know it then" Fitz
said, "but I knew it when he got
to the backstretch. He was still in
front, but I saw the way he was
running-and I knew he couldn't
last"
The crowd cheered and the band
blared and pounded away at Mary
land, My Maryland" as Challedon
came home in front. Mr.. Brann
and Lou Schaefer were in the win
ners circle for the grinning Seabo
% he hro,cht the colt hack It was