Evening star., 1953-04-05
By John Chandler
Associated Press Sports Writer

ASS0CtoIeo TteSS SPoIIS WIitOV
GLYNDON, Md, April 4.-1f
Alfred Gwynn Vandernilt'S gray
Native Dancer wins the Ken
lucky Derby four weeks from to-
day
/. Kentucky will claim him
since he was foaled in the Blue
Grass State.
2. Marylanders will call him
their own because he was raised
right here at his owners Saga
more Farm. l,,r
3. New York will demand
some credit, since the unbeaten
tWo-year-old champion of 1852
ran all nine Of his races in that
State, and Vanderbilt makes his
home on Long Island. j-...
4. California'S Chamber of
Commerce can say: How about
our climate? The colt spent
two winters at Santa Anita
Park. -..
So, a lot of people could get
into the act if the current 8-to-5
Derby favorite comes through
May 2 at Louisville. = |
Credit Due Ex-G -Gridder.
fdetf has been written about
EaN,sp the r1ative dancer angles,
fbuts nothing about a beautiful,
582 -acre farm in rolling Worth
ingtota Valley about 25 miles
from Baltimore. And little has
been Il said or written about a
former University of Kentucky
football player who had a lot to
do with the bringing up of VAN
derbilt's gray galloper- This
would be Ralph Kercheval, a ma
tive of Lexington, KY. who is
general manager of Sycamore
farm. Kercheval. a great kicker
in football. played with the
Brooklyn pro eleven for six years
before he got with the horse
business.
Kentucky is incidental as far
as this horse is concerned-and
that's my home State. too." said
Kercheval, no stranger to thor
oughbred horses although his
primary fame was founded on
college and professional foot
ball. 49,
Came to Maryland Early.
Native Dancer was foaled on
March q. 1850, at Dan w
Scott's farm in Kentucky. where
his dam, Geisi1a, had been sent
from Maryland to be bred to
Polynesian. A couple of months
later they came back to Saga
more.
HE impressed us as an ex-
tremely nice colt-let's put it
that way" Kercheval said. "You
get so many disappointmentS in
this game that you don't go
overheard until you see them
run" H
Thus, at that time, Native
Dancer was just another good
looking prospect among a score
or so galloping in Sagamore's
rolling green pastures. Mary
landers always insist the grass
and water and whatever goes
into building a powerful race
horse is as fine in their State as
anywhere. They've got Native
! Dancer to prove it.
The Dancer began early train
ing as a yearling late in July,
1851, and was broken and
schooled from the starting gate
at Sycamore. He began breez-
ing over the farms six-furlong
outdoor track in October. and
was shipped to California along
with other Vanderbilt horses in
mid-November.
HE was playful, big and
rough, but you could do any
thing with him." Kercheval re-
called.
There are three divisions at
Sycamore Farm, over which
Kercheval is head man-the
maintenance section. breeding
department, and~training Sec
ton. From so to 70 men are en-
ployed, depending on the num-
ber of horses here. At present,
there are IS in training. mostly
two and three-year-oldS.
| One is q gray juvenile named
Performance, a half brother Of
Native Dancer who bears quite
O. resemblance to his famous
older brother. Performance is
| by An1phitheatre GeiSha.
nTTeTl on tn New Ynrk hAfnre