Evening star., 1948-05-02
Citation Winner
OF 74th Derby;
|Coa|town |s2d
Calumet Ace Comes
From 6 Lengths Back
To Triumph by 3h
SKIP ALEXANDER TIES Bobby
Locke at 203 at 81 Holes in Ma
tional Capital Open Golf. B-1.
BY Froncis {. Stonn
Stur Stoff Ccrrespondent

tlonal Capital open Coli. B-1.
By froncis {. Stonn
Stor Staff Correspondent
LOUISVILLE, KY. May l.
With an awe-inSpiring rush in
the final quarter of a mile,
Warren Wright's Citation won
the 74th running of the Ken
lucky Derby today, overcoming
a six-length lead by his blazingly
swift running mate, Coaltown,
and clearly establishing the son
of Bull Lea-Hydroplane II as
one of the great 3-year-oldS of
recent years.
Under leaden skies and over a
sloppy. rain-soaked track. Citation
had little competition from Coal
town as he roared across the finish
line 3l3 lengths ahead. Neither did
Coaltown, also a son of Bull Lea
but out of Easy Lass. find it difficult
to handle the rest of the six-horse
field as Wright's racing monopoly
reached a new peak
A crowd estimated at 100000 by
track officials wagered only $670,833
on the Derby, as against a record
81 ,253,042 last year, but even this
appeared to be a formidable figure
in view of the fact that Cd todays
field of six horses was the smallest
since 1907. ~ wagering was con-
fined to straight betting and t3
Citation and Coaltown were pro-
perly considered the strongest entry
ever sent into the classic.
Entry Pays $3.50.
The winning entry paid only 50 80,
equalling the shorest price since
pari-mutuel betting was established
40 years ago, but the l948 Derby
also saw two records fall and still
another mark tied.
Eddie Arcaro, veteran race rider,
piloted Citation and became the
first jockey to win four Derbys.
breaking a three-way tie with Isaac
Murphy 1884, 1890, 1891 and Earl
Sande 1923, 1925 and 1880. Arcaro.
who won with Lawrin in 1898,
Whirlaway in 194l and Hoop, Jr..
In l945, succeeded AL Snider. the
rider who was lost last March in =
storm while fishing off the Florida
Keys. Before the race he has
pledged to share half of his purse
of approximately $4,000 with the
widow of Snider, close friend.
Citation also shared in the rec
ord-breaking when he became the
first derby winner to have over
come the jinxes of having preceded
his triumph by victories in the
Flturity and Derby Trial.
Although he had concentrated on
training Coaltown in Kentucky
while his son, Jimmy, trained Cita-
ton up north, Plain Ben" Jones
was listed as the trainer of the new
champion and thus equalled the
record of saddling four derby win
ners. He tied the mark of Derby
Dick" Thompson, who saddled four
of the late Col. E. B. Bradley's
horses, Bold Venture. Brokers Tip,
Burgoo King and Bubbling Over.
Best Time Since 1914.
Citation. smartly ridden and paced
by Arcaro, ran the mile and a
quarter in 2:05.2 good time in view
of the condition of the track. 1t
was the best time for a Derby since
the last fast track in 1914. when
Pensive won in 2:04.1. The gross
value of the derby, with only six
starters, was $11l,450.
The net value to the winner was
$83, 400, but Coaltown picked up an
other $4,000 for finishing second
and the Jones boys, father and son.
won the two trainers awards Of
$1,000 and $1,000
There were four other horses in
the starting gate, but 1t was only a.
two-horse race. My Request, owned
by Ben F. Whitaker of Dallas. Tex,
who had won both divisions of the
Experimental and the Wood Me-
mortal, was third, fat three lengths
behind Coaltown and 6lz lengths
behind Citation,
Billings. owned by r. W. McIlvain
of Chicago, and Kentucky-bred was
fourth, a length and a half back OF
My Request but 20 lengths in front
of Grandpere. Grandpere is owned
by Mrs. John Payson Adams of San
Jose, Calf, and was foaled in Call
ifornia. W. L. Brann's Maryland
bred Escadru trailed Grandpere by
a neck
No Contest for Entry.
It was no contest for Wright's
Calumet Farm entry. Not only were
Citation and Coaltown infinitely su-
perior to the others, but chances
are that in his stable Wright had
three or four others as good, if not
better, than today's rivals, including
the great filly, Bewitch.
The knock down -the-favorite bet
tors chose My Request as their horse
and sent him to the post at 3-to-l.
My Requests successes in the Ex-
perimental and Wood recommended
him, but even so the pettors, chiefly
from Texas, were acting out of des-
peration. There was only one bet
today and that was sporting wager
as to the relative merits of the two
Calumet speedsters.
Coaltown, who must be one OF
the swiftest horses at a mile in
many years, leaped away from the
barrier like a rabbit from a hutch.
Before going quarter Of a mile
Coaltown and his 31-year-old rider,
Newbold Pierson, veteran of half