Evening star., 1942-11-12
Calumet Comet
Earns Laure|s
Over A|sab
Proves Racing Class
In Carrying Weight
Over Long Routes
BY SID FEDER,


NEW YORK, Nov. 12.-1t is sonie-
what superfluous, like the lace
"panties" on a lamb chop, to hand
Whirlaway any more posies than
he already has, but with the re-
turns just about complete it begins
to look as though Mr.. Big Tail is the
horse Of the year" again for 1912.
This will no doubt raise more
than a mild beef among. the mem
bers of the Alsab Cheering and
Chowder Society, wild-eyed coll
lection OF rooters who firmly believe
any horse other than their hero IS
classy candidate for a glue fac
tory.
Their argument is that the Sab
hung it on Whirly two out of the
three times they met, that the
Chicago Express piled up a bigger
bankroll this year and that, in wind
ing up his season yesterday by run
ming on wrenched ankle and still
knocking of set Of handicap
gallopers in the Victory Handicap
at Belmont. Alsab was quite q bum
ulc Ol IdyDurner.
That's their story, but from there
on the record rides with Warren
Wright's whizz-bang. He has gone
through campaign even sitter
than Alsab's and has carried weight
burdens bearing striking resem-
blance to loaded brewery trucks.
Yet, through as tough a campaign
as any gee-gee has galloped in years,
he remained as sound as the mint,
while the Sab had to knock of 4
couple of months with sore legs.
Races to Money Record.
On top of that, Whirly picked
this year to wipe out Seabiscuit's
money winning record. His $8,625
pay check for the Gov. Bowie Ham
dicap at Pimlico yesterday sky
rocketed his three season bank ac-
count to $54S,461.
Alsab picked up $227,715 for 1942.
compared with Whirlaway's $198, 800.
However, he had the benefit of 10
purses from $25 900 to 5000 to do
it. Mr.. Long Tail had q crack at
only one of more than $4,000. Tho
Sab blew a lot Of his fanciest finan-
cial opportunities, like the Derby
and the Belmont, while the war
came along to rob Whirly Of his ono
shot at the heavy sugar-the Santa
Anita 100000.
Taking the cold numbers, Alsab
went to the races 22 times in 277
days-an average Of about once
every 1914 days-won eight starts
and was out of the money in four.
Whirly, beginning his campaign
later, had 20 trips to the post In PIG
days-about once every 1915 after
moons won 10, was second in eight
and never was out of the money.
Always Carried Weight.
In 10 of his last IS jobs, Whirla-
way had 100 or more on his back
and ran anywhere from 7 furlongs
to ~ miles with it, while spotting
his rivals up to 80 pounds apiece.
He gave Alsab 7 pounds the day he
whipped the Chicago Champ. This
was the "scale-weight" difference
between a 3 and 4 year -old, but you
can't overlook the fact that the Sab
had the edge, because it came, along
in October when 3-year-old has
just about grown up
Twice Whirlaway set track rec.
ords, once at Suffolk Downs the day
he broke the Biscuits money-win-
ming mark by taking the mile and an
eighth to beat him, and a third time
Bolingbroke had to run to a new
North American mark for a mile and
a half to turn the trick. Bolingbroke,
a 5-year-old, carried lis and Whirly
1872 that afternoon. The Sab had
more than 126 pounds on his back
only once.
On top of everything else, it might
be well for Alsab to settle whether
he's even boss of his own division
the 3-year-olds-before he aims at
the bigger target of horse OF the
year." Shut Out has a pretty good
claim to the 3-year- r-old crown, too,
having whipped the Sab in the
Derby and Belmont and earned
$238 ,222.50, more than any other
horse in the country this year.