Evening star., 1942-04-04
Stake Winners
As2-Year-0Ids
Develop Well
Devil Diver, Shut Out
And Buckskin Pack
Greentree Hopes
BY SID FEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer,

NEW YORK, April 4.-Around and
about on the backstretch, when the
pot belly stove thaws out the con-
versation these nippy mornings, the
boys get together after the dawn
workouts and tell each other this
could be a Whitney year.
And, If the first family of the turf
is due, the boys don't see any reason
why the first lady of the first family
shouldn't start it off down there at
the Downs May 2, when the trumpets
softly sound my Old Kentucky
Home" and a necklace Of roses is
worth a fortune.
This would be Mrs. Payne Whit
ney, and the worst you can say
about the chances of racing's leading
lady in the Kentucky Derby is could
be-" Because Mrs. Whitney holds a
pretty pat hand for the big pot this
time. You have to admit three aces
are tough to beat for table stakes,
and that's just what the Greentree
Stable has in Devil Diver, Shut Out
and Buckskin, which cleaned up
total of s88 IA in 1941.
All Three Stake Winners.
All three were stake winners last
year at two, and they've grown up
on their holiday since last fall to be
a set Of husky gallopers. And just
to show you that the Greentree
outfit isn't kidding this time, after
IL years of waiting since its last
Derby winner, all three have been
brought over, direct from their win
ter vacation on the farm, to Lexing-
ton, to get ready for the Derby right
close to the Derby's home ground
Even Head Trainer John Gaver has
left New York and is down there al
ready making the wheels go round.
From deep in the heart of the
blue grass today came word that
Gaver was feeling pretty good about
his chances particularly with Devil
Divers and Shut Out. Like most
trainers. who don't like to start sing
ing until the music's right, Big Jawn
wouldn't come right out in meeting
with a fat prediction. but you could
tell he was several shades lighter
than blue about it.
"Off their workouts up to now"
he explained. there isn't enough
to make me feel either high or low
on my chances in the Derby yet.
Both Devil Diver and Shut Out are
eligible for the Blue Grass Stake at
Keeneland the week before the
Derby, and I'm hoping they'll be
ready to start then. After that
well, I'll say this much: If they do
all right at Keeneland, you can bet
they'll be in the Derby field"
Diver and Shut Out Consistent.
Of their juvenile form, you can
expect the two big ones to do some
what better than bad any time the
starter hollers come on" The
Diver was out II times last year,
won four, including the Hopeful and
the Keeneland Breeders Futur1ty,
picked up a gaudy s65, ,359 and never
was out of the money. Shut Out,
good looking chestnut son OF Equl-
poise and bearing a resemblance to
his great daddy, came home in three
of his nine outings and showed
bankroll of s17,210 for the year.
I
Shut Out appeared the likeliest to
pick 'em up and lay 'em down over
a stretch of ground, the big thing
a gee-gee needs in the Derby. He
took two cracks at distances over
a mile toward the end Of his 2-year-
old campaign, and each time he was
running over horses in the stretch.
Mrs. Whitney has been waiting
long time for those roses. The
last time she took the necklace home
was in 1881, when hadnsome Twenty
Grand ran what was the fastest
Derby of them all until Whirlaway
exploded his skyrocket in the stretch
last May. But year in and year out
Mrs. whitney has brought out the
thoroughbreds because she loves the
sport. So if she should win over the
Alsabs and the Requesteds and the
Sun Agains on May 2, the losers
would be the first to agree, 1T
couldn't happen to a nicer person"