Kentucky Derby

White-haired Mrs. Samuel D. Riddle, wife of Philadelphia's 76-year-old turfman, has a sentimental custom: when Trainer George Conway thinks there is an especially promising race horse in her husband's stable, she knits him a woolen pommel cloth. Knitted pommel cloths went to Crusader, Scapa Flow, War Glory. Most famed horse that got one was their sire, Man o' War. Latest beneficiary of Mrs. Riddle's knitting needles is another one of Man o' War's sons, an undersized three-year-old named War Admiral. Last week, War Admiral made his appearance at Churchill Downs, as 9-to-5 favorite in the biggest U. S. horse race of the year, the Kentucky Derby.

For the Derby, the starting line used to be 60 ft. back of where the track straightens out for the straightaway in front of the stands. This year it was moved forward 40 ft. but it was still on the curve and the horses nearest the inside rail, though they still had an advantage in not having to run quite so far as outside horses, still faced the risk of being pocketed. War Admiral, who likes to lead from start to finish, drew the post position. One main question of the race, therefore, was whether his jockey, Charley Kurtsinger, could get him away fast enough to avoid being crowded by horses swinging in from the outside of the track. Kurtsinger did so. A few minutes after the crowd of 70,000 had seen War Admiral lead the parade to the post, it saw him lead the field down the straightaway and around the first turn.

After the race was over. Kurtsinger said: "There was nothing to it." This was an exaggeration but after the first turn, there was never a moment when it looked as though War Admiral might lose. Coming into the stretch, Jerome H. Louchheim's Pompoon challenged him for the lead. Jockey Kurtsinger touched War Admiral once with his whip and drew away. At the end of the race. War Admiral was going easily, almost two lengths ahead. Pompoon was second, eight lengths ahead of Mrs. Ethel Mars's Reaping Reward who nosed out the rest of the field for third place. To War Admiral's owner went a prize of $52,050. Ill in Philadelphia, he was represented by Trainer Conway, who accepted the gold cup from Kentucky's Governor Albert B. ("Happy") Chandler.

For Trainer Conway, last week's victory was the reward of an extraordinary campaign of which the purpose was not so much to turn War Admiral into the best race horse in the U. S. as to turn him into a horse healthy and hale enough to race at all. As a two-year-old, War Admiral last year won three races, finished second twice, third once. Offsetting his speed and good blood he had one dangerous defect: he was delicate. Last winter, instead of growing as a two-year-old should, he showed signs of remaining the same size. A specially knitted pommel cloth was by no means the only coddling that War Admiral got. Trainer Conway had him exercised just enough to give him an appetite but not enough to tire him. Instead of two meals a day, he got snacks between meals and suppers at midnight whenever he appeared hungry. Careful stuffing raised little War Admiral's weight 100 Ib. over the winter. He finally contrived to grow from 15 hands to 15 hands, 3 inches. Listed in the Derby winter books at 15-to-1, War Admiral's odds dropped fast when he won two races at Havre de Grace this spring. In both he exhibited his sire's famed trait of taking the lead at the start, keeping it to the finish. Like Man o' War, War Admiral has a slightly peevish disposition. Much of the eight-minute delay at last week's start was caused by his reluctance to stay in his stall.

The Kentucky Derby was one race which Man o' War didn't win. One reason for this was that in 1920 Owner Riddle did not consider the Derby important enough for Man o' War to enter. Last week, Owner Riddle's Derby winner was the first horse he had ever started in the race. Last week's Derby victory was the second for a son of Man o' War: Clyde Van Dusen's in 1929 was the first. It was also the second for Jockey Kurtsinger, who grew up in Louisville, got spanked regularly by his father for spending his time at the race track. Before the race, Kurtsinger was asked whether he wanted to have Man o' War's old saddle on War Admiral. Said he: "That saddle must be nearly 20* years old and I don't want any leather breaking in the Derby. Beside, I've got my own lucky saddle that brought Twenty Grand home." Jockey Kurtsinger's first Derby victory on Twenty Grand in 1931 set a track record of 2:01 4/5. Last week's running, in 2 :03 1/5, was, except for that one, the Derby's fastest, the more remarkable because the new starting line gave War Admiral 40 ft. less distance in which to acquire top speed before reaching the timing post.

-In his barn at Lexington, Ky., 90 miles from where his colt last week won the Derby, Man o' War two months ago celebrated his aoth birthday. Still at stud, he has thus far sired 124 colts, 132 fillies of racing age, who have won $2,200,000 in prize money.

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