Evening star., 1946-05-02
In Earnest's Scratch
BIocksRecord-Tyin
Chance for Jones
By Sid FEEDER
Assoeiotsd Press Sport. Writer


LOUISVILLE, KY, May 2.-The
Knock Down the -Favorite" Club
moved in for its annual Kentucky
Derby delirium today, and decided
that If Lord Boswell is going to
lose it might very well be some
thing like Dark Jungle who would
do it, simply because no one knows
much about him except he can run
Now the KDTF fraternity was
just as dizzy, at the moment, as
any one else in this Derby -daffy
city, which is bulging at the seams.
The withdrawal Of the popular In
Earnest yesterday, on top of the
previous elimination of Mist O'Gold
figured to make Saturdays scram-
BILE easier for Lord B, what with two
Of his classier challengers scratched
and the expected muddy track
threatening others.
Incidentally, not since handy
Earl Sande had to pull Stagehand
out in 1888 has there been so much
sympathy as was felt for Owner
Warren Wright and Trainer Ben
Jones when they had to scratch
their pint-sized giant killer, In Ear
nest. 1t was especially directed at
plain Ben, who could have tied
Derby Dick Thompson's record of
saddling four Derby winners if In
Earnest had hit the jackpot.
Running for Big Pay Check.
And with him gone this Derby dug
into its prerace stretch all dressed
up as the widest open affair Col.
Matt Winn has put on in many a
May. With the trainers starting
their usual "stall-talking" nervous
ness over realization that each has
a Derby horse within two days of
getting to the post, the picture
found any one Of IA of the expected
II starters given a chance to wind
up with that necklace of roses and
a Ss6, 400 paycheck Gf all II are on
hanO.
The one to beat is, of course, the
sturdy, stretch-running Lord Bos-
well from the barn of cosmetics
queen Mrs. Elizabeth Graham. But
there are any number of experts
self-styled and otherwise - who
point out that the son Of Boswell,
after being on vacation since last
November, came back with a tough
mile and an eighth in the Blue
Grass Stakes last Thursday, and
followed it right up with another
rough mile drill over Churchill
Downs gooey going yesterday.
What's more, they say he'll have
tougher time finding room to run
through Is other horses than he did
in sailing past comparative hand
ful in the Blue Grass.
Which would mean that some one
OF Lord BIS closer rivals might
give him the horse laugh-some-
thing, to say, like the come from
behind Texas, Assault, or romping
Rlppey, tasny winner of the DERBY
trial mile Tuesday. or front-running
Hampden from Delaware, or Spy
Song, which didn't show too much
heart in the trial, or even his own
stablemate, big and rangy Knock
down, despite the fact he hasn't
mad too much work since March,
They Still Like Dark jungle,
But that's not what the KDTE
Club wants. It tries to tell YOU
anything as open as this race al
most has to uncover q winner which
Will be as overlooked as an orphan
by the betting boys and girls.
Which is where Dark Jungle
comes In. although If you're play
ing that system, 1t might tust as
well be With Pleasure, the Chicago
candidate which ran a steady third
IN the trial in his first 1946 Job,
or Pellicle, which was second in the
Blue Grass, or Marine Victory,
which can take of out in front
with any Of them.
But Dark Jungle is having a lot
OF nice things said about him by
the folks in the Blue Grass. Maybe
they're just being neighborly be-
cause he was born over in Lexing-
ton on the Runners Rest Farm of
his owner, Lucas B. Combs.
But the record also shows he can
step on the gas if necessary. A son
OF He Did; which won the Santa
Anita Derby in '36-and finished a
weary seventh here that spring
the jungle clicked in two Of five
starts last year and bowed in this
spring by laughing at a fair field in
6-furlong dash last week.
And now his jockey, Andy Lo
Turco, who halls from Brooklyn,
N. Y, is certain well be in there
running, ana running pretty good.'
That's about where the "Knock-
Down-the-Favorite" Club adjourned
the meeting.
Virginia Tilt Roined Out
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