Evening star., 1942-12-16
Gets Is Ballots
To0n|y45f for
SABBATH Colt
Also Named Champion
Hondicop Compoiener;
Askmenow Is Queen
BY SID FEEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

an argument that has been bounc-
ing around racing circles for
months, Whirlaway today was
named the best horse of this year"
by a one-sided vote of turf writer's
representing all parts of the country.
A total Of 1913 writer's balloted
in the Turf and Sport Digest's an
nual poll Of the top gallopers in
all divisions, and 76 of them picked
little Mr.. Big Tail to hang onto
the honor for the second straight
season. Only As voted for Al
Sabath's Alsab, the Chicago Ex-
press which had been expected to
give Whirly much closer fight than
that.
Settling the other title disputes,
the writer's picked Alsab over Mrs.
Payne Whitney's Shut Out as 1925
3-year-old boss, and Mrs. John D.
Hertz's rapid-running Count Fleet,
advance favorite for next springs
Kentucky Derby, as the best of the
2-year-old colts, by a comparatively
close margin over John Marsch's
Midwest ace, Occupation.
AskmenOw Is Named Queen.
Hal Price Headley's Askmenow,
top money winner of the year in her
division, with a total OF $39,610,
was tabled queen of the 2-year-old
fillies, and, Of course, Whirlaway
was a cakewalk in the balloting
for the champion handicap cam
paigner in the 4-year -old-and-up
set.
In taking the horses-of -the-year
crown, Whirly became the second
horse to win it twice in row in
the several years of the Turf and
Sport Digest pool. Before the
worlds leading money winner, the
only repeater was big, husky Chal-
ledon, which had a two-year run in
1889 and 1910.
In picking Warren Wright's
Whizz- Bang, the writer's apparently
decided in favor of Whirly's all
round record Of becoming the first
half-million dollar money winner in
turf history, of rounding out three
years without the slightest trace
Of pain or ache indicating un-
soundness and of completing his
second traight year without finish
ing out of the money in any race.
Whirly Leads in Victories.
The Alsab Cheering and ChoWder
Society, meantime, pointed to its
hero's performance in knocking off
Whirlaway two out of three times
this year. For the year, Whirly won
IL of % starts and added $211 ,250
to his bankroll, thereby boosting his
total earnings to gaudy 1851 oil.
Alsab came waltzing home in 9 of
% outings and, with more chances
at bigger purses than the little A.
year-old flyer from Kentucky,
grabbed off $234,565 for the year.
But Alsab finished out of the money
four times and had to be laid up
for repairs part of the year.
In the 3-year-old contest, in
which votes are added up a bit diff
ferently, Alsab knocked off Shut
Out, 348 points to 272. In the age
divisions the writer's picked their
one-two-three choices and the Turf
and Sport Digest awarded three
points for a f1rst-place selection,
two for second and one for third.
Last spring Shut Out pinned it on
Alsab in the Derby and Belmont,
while Sabath's pride and joy took
the Preakness. But the son of
Equipoise went "sour" during the
fall campaigning and the Sab"
came along to mop up several of
the late fixtures.
Third place in this balloting went
to William Woodward's tall filly,
Vagrancy, the best of the 3-year-old
queens" She polled 81 points.
Count Fleet Tops Juveniles.
Count Fleet, who hit his peak this
fall and turned in a 1:3444s mile for
a world record for a 2-year -old, drew
331 points in the selection for the
best of the juveniles. Occupation,
winner OF nine races and $192, 1855,
had 275 and Devils Thumb, the
fast galloper owned by airplane
manufacturer w. E. Boeing, had
120. The Thumb was retired for
the year after winning five straight
stakes at Saratoga in August.
Askmenow took the 2-year-old
fllly crown with 272 points to ITO
for Joseph E. Widener's Fair
Weather.