Evening star., 1943-04-08
Colts IS Price
In Winter Book
Lowest Ever
Hertz Horse Is Held
Glass for Any Rich
3-Yeur-OId Stake
BY SID FEDER,
Associated preSs Sports Writ,

hssoCldleu Press sports writer.
NEW YORK, April 8.-The Ken
tucky Derby winter book price on
Count Fleet-lowest in history to
begin with-just about dropped
completely out of sight today.
The way the Count has been
"breaking stopwatches" in his
sizzling workouts over Belmont's ex-
ercise track these spring mornings
and the fact that his leading rival
Devils Thumb, has been sidelined
for two months, has convinced
Broadway's better bookmakers that
the tall skinny son of Reign Count
Is the years hot one" among the
3-year- r-olds. So they've sliced his
future Derby price down to 7 to 5.
When you come to think of it, this
Is a slice that compares to a good
thick cut of top round remember?)
because Col. Ed Bradley once said
that it's 3 to in the futures against
any horse even getting to the post
on Derby Day. And the Count
hasn't even been to the races yet as
3year-old, although he's heading
for the Wood Memorial at Jamaica
April II.
Count Fleet Is Freak" Horse.
The Count Is a "freak" horse, the
railbirds tell you. They say there
are a lot of things wrong with the
way he runs-except that once the
boy gives him the green light he
really can pick 'em up and lay 'em
down.
He's tall and gangling and his
quarters are so high he looks almost
swaybacked from some angles. And
he runs with his head held high,
which, the wise guys" tell you, is
no way for a gee-gee to travel if
he's going to 60 a mile and a quar-
ter. And some insist he looks too
skinny to carry that 126-pound
package over that long Derby road,
although Trainer Don Cameron
points out he's put on so pounds
over the winter and now scales
1,035. And others believe he may be
training too faSt-as witness his
1885 mile as early in the season as
last week
But add 1t all up and you have to
put the Skipper" at the head of
the class for any of the big 3-year-
old stakes you mention. He's strictly
the guy to beat.
Has Chance at Ekky's Mark.
He just about seWed up that spot
last fall when he tipped through
the mile of the Champagne Stakes
at Belmont in 1:3445 for a new
world record for 2-year-olds. And
now that he's bigger there even
are some who figure he has more
than whisper of a chance of crack
ing -Equipoises famous 3422 mile
mark
Trainer Cameron isn't trying to
make a secret of the Counts git
up-and-go. You wait a long time
for real good one" he said today,
land when he comes there's no
reason to hide it
Cameron's convinced that, unless
something happens to his skinny
streak of lightning, the Count will
be the second Kentucky Derby VIM
ner for Mrs. John D. Hertz of the
Chicago U-drive and taxicab Hertzes.
The Counts daddy was the first
flyer that brought him the neck
lace of roses-and the bacon-for
Mrs. Hertz. That was back in 1928,
when Roigh Count Waltzed in easily
at the Downs. The Count s mama"
is Quickly. that ran in the 81 500
$4,000 selling ranks in the mid-3Os
until Hertz bought her for 81. 500 for
stud purposes. The Count is her
second SON
Fine Record Last Year.
For the first half of last year,
Skipper had to run in the shadow
of Occupations eaudy galloping. But
starting with the Champagne he
wound up with four straight wins,
setting a track record in taking the
Plmlico Futuritv by 5 lengths from
Occupation, although he lost a shoe
somewhere along the way. Alto
gether he was out Is times, won 10,
finished second in 4 and third once
and won a fancy SIG. PAS.
His worst defeat was when he
finished third by lengths to Oc-
cupation in the Belmont Futuritv.
But IN that one, romance entered
the Counts life, for he ranged up
alongside the filly Askmenow half
way through the race and ran with
her the rest of the way. Trainer
Cameron hopes there are no youne
lQH1nc in