The Virginian

Only one Virginia-bred horse, Reigh Count in 1928, has ever won the Kentucky Derby. Jockeys are notoriously superstitious and even wise Eddie Arcaro is not a man to ride in the face of such an imposing tradition unless he has a good reason. But Eddie was curious about the 1950 form of Christopher Chenery's Virginia-bred Hill Prince, a big (16:1 hands) bay colt, which had won six of his seven 1949 starts, three under Arcaro.

At Jamaica race track last week, Eddie got his answer. The day was drab, chilly, drizzly; the track was sloppy, and only 19,834 fans had turned out to watch the Experimental Free Handicap No. 1, first of the Eastern trials building up to the Derby climax May 6. The race was only six furlongs, and Owner Chenery fretted about Hill Prince's slow starts and his 124-lb. impost. His concern seemed justified when, despite Arcaro's quick whip, Hill Prince was a poor next-to-last at the half-mile post; it seemed improbable that the bay could make up eight lengths and pass five horses in the next quarter-mile.

Passing Fancy. But unerringly guided by Arcaro, Hill Prince threaded through the opposition with the zip of a motorcycle in a traffic jam, won by better than a length going away. Among the horses he passed in the closing drive: Derby hopefuls Casemate and Guillotine (winner of. last year's Futurity Stakes--TIME, Oct. 10).

Hill Prince's obvious fine conditioning had come from wintering in his own paddock at Chenery's farm, The Meadow, in Doswell, Va., an area regarded as hardly better than Siberia by some horsemen who like to take their strings to the warmer climates of South Carolina, Florida or Southern California. But in a mild winter, Hill Prince had missed only three days of outside work on his private training track. His run last week earned him a new respect with the customers. Two days after Hill Prince's performance at Jamaica, the bookmakers had established him as a close Derby favorite (4-1) with Tulsa Oilman Tom Gray's Oil Capitol (3-1).

A Small Doubt. Would Arcaro ride him in the Derby Keen-eyed, banana-nosed Eddie wore the expression of a faintly satisfied but still skeptical banker, still trying to make up his mind about a big loan. Eddie wanted to see what Hill Prince would do in this week's second Experimental at a mile and a sixteenth. "He's just as good as he was last year," Arcaro said. "But he's never had to go more than 6a furlongs in a race. Some people doubt he can go for distance and might hang in the stretch. But I think he'll go on and on." Jockey Arcaro had reason to think so. Instead of pulling Hill Prince up after the six furlongs last week, Eddie had kept him pelting through the mud for two furlongs more. His instructions from Trainer J. H. ("Casey") Hayes: work him out a mile in 1: 40. By easing him through the last sixteenth, Arcaro hit his instructions right on the nose.

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