Evening star., 1943-04-13
|njury-She|ved
Stars Return
To Training
Occupation, Chop Chop
And Red Sonnet Are
Among Half Dozen
BY SID FEEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer


NEW YORK. April 13-Every
year there's a set of hard-luck guys
and gals among the 3-year-old GAL
lopers who have to sit home and
read about the Derby in their IA
vorite newspapers and then come
along to raise quite a ruckus later
In the season.
Something usually has happened
to the colts in this set to keep them
out of action early in the spring.
Among the -fillies it's usually be-
cause they're smart enough to real
ize that carrying 126 pounds for a
mile and quarter strictly is a
mans job, even if it is for the big
end of $4,000, which would inter-
est any lady.
Down through the years there
have been a lot of these tough-luck
lads-Man O. War in 1920 and
Equipoise in 1882 and the great
Sysonby and Fair Play in naught-
five and naught-eight, and. most
recently, Stage Hand, Earl Sande's
headache five years ago.
Comebacks Are Promised.
This year the West offers posi-
bilities of lighting up lot of fire.
works before the. seasons out.
There's Occupation, for instance,
and Chop Chop, the hard-hitting
little fellow who moved up into the
Endurance Handicap last fall, and
Red Sonnet, the tall chestnut whose
speed made lightning strike at
Jamaica last spring before he was
hurt
Among the young ladies are three
who split up most of the votes for
the 2-year-old championship of last
year-Askmenow, Fair Weather and
Good Morning-as we'll as the fly
Ing Our Page, which probably was as
classy as any of 'em. She won her
only two outngs-including the
classic Spinaway Stakes at Sara
toga-then popped splint.
All three of the colts have had
more leg trouble than a chorus line
with heusemaid's knee. Mrs. John
Marschs Occupation was the "fu-
turity kid" of 1912. He won the Ar
lington, Washington Park, Belmont
and Keeneland breeders futuri-
ties and piled up hankroll of
$192 ,355-more than any other q
year-old ever has pocketed. In two
futurities he made Count Fleet hol-
Ter "Uncle," and then figured to
have a say in this years Derby.
Then he suffered an injury and had
to be withdrawn.
Red Sonnet Is Rangy.
Red Sonnet is rapid, rangy flyer
from George Widener's farm. They
thought so little of him at first that
he was entered in a $500 claiming
race. He romped home by seven
lengths in track record time, so his
handlers changed their minds in
hurry. He won three in row be-
Tore he, too, came down with leg
ailment. Recently, Bill Mulholland
put him back in training, and the
word is he's a ''WhizZer" again.
Chop Chop was picked up by Mrs.
Bagley Douglas for S4,100 as year.
ling and didn't get to the races until
last fall. In his first out he was
given some rough bumps by some
of the other horses, bolted and
crashed through the fence, putting
both himself and his jockey in the
hospital. Five weeks later he start
ed all over again, won three of
seven starts and S11,25O. He was
rated one of the better Derby dark
horses until something happened to
his right front foot. But he, like
the others, will be back.
Scores Over Askmenow.
Before Our Page made her first
trip to the post last summer Trainer
Steve Judge thought so little of her
he was willing to sell her for $500.
Two days after winning her first
start she came back to take the
Spinaway from Askmenow, but she
popped a splint in doing it-and
she's been on the hospital list until
a few weeks ago.
So the filly field was left to Ask
menow, owned by Hal Price Head
ley; Fair Weather, which won 6 of
II starts for Joe Widener, and Good
Morning, bought for $4,000 by 1t.
Comdr. Harry Guggenheim. former
Ambassador to Cuba. Askmenow
finished second in the Belmont
Futurity and collected $4,000 alto
gether. Good Morning wound up
with $4,000.