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Show V GAmANDf ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. You face a pretty fair jump from one of the favorite habitats of racing dogs to the Kentucky Derby. But long distance calls from Tropical Park across the Everglades indicate that well-known forecasters are both busy and dizzy on the winter Derby book. I mean the new one. They tell me the main thorn in their prognosticating sides is a horse called Alsab. Eight weeks ago this wonder as a two-year-old was far in front of the field. Then things began to happen as they usually do when two-year-olds become three-year-olds. Alsab had his ears pinned back three times running and the first book blew up with a noisy crash. j "Before the Widener," one of the 1 leading bookies phoned, "I had Requested Re-quested and the Calumet stable on top around 6 to 1. Alsab looked to be a dead fish. But the race he ran in the Widener has upset things again. I wish that horse would settle set-tle down to one form or another. "He looked to be a tired, overworked, over-worked, worn-out horse in his first three starts. He was thin and nervous. He had lost his old speed. But when he moved up head and head with Best Seller and The ! Rhymer in the big race far down the stretch he was a different horse again. He is still the big guess of the Derby field.' Favored Selections Ben Whitaker's Requested and Warren Wright's Calumet entry will remain the favored selections. Nei- f 41 ALSAB ther may be as good as Alsab on Derby day, but Alsab is still too much of a guess and a gamble. Requested has improved more than a mere bit. And Ben Jones will have more than one good horse ready when the big race is run. Before I left California Trainer Jones told me that he might have as many as four horses on hand for the next Derby. "I'm counting more on Sun Again and Some Chance," he said, "but I may have two others almost as good. Derby day is still a long way off as far as a thoroughbred is concerned, con-cerned, but we ought to have something some-thing left from the group." At that time both Sun Again and Some Chance looked fit enough to run with any three-year-olds around the map. The wrecking upset that took place in the recent $53,000 Widener now has the players in this tropical domain looking for some longer Derby prices. The mere sight of a favorite has become obnoxious, not to say repellent. Florida favorites have been running run-ning like 20 to 1 shots, only not quite so fast For example, neither The Rhymer's trainer nor jockey thought this horse had even an outside chance. And when the crowd saw all the favorites far back most of them wondered why they still had dished out so much cash on the top choices, after what had been happening hap-pening all spring. Badly Overivorked Alsab will have fresh backing in the new book, and at better odds. This horse proved he could run against older rivals last week. There isn't any question that he has been badly overworked. If he hasn't been, then practically every trainer in Florida is wrong. But the Derby is nearly six weeks away. And Alsab may get enough rest in that time to recover a good part of his 1942 form. He was the best horse in the Widener for a mile and an eighth, and started to fade only in the last 80 yards. Ben Whitaker said a year ago that Requested was the best horse he had ever owned. "And he has Improved a lot," the Texan said before heading home. "I'm not going to pick him to win the Derby, but I know he has a good chance. Also, I think . Alsab is a better horse than he looked to be in his first three starts at Hialeah. And I know that beating those Calumet Calu-met entries won't be any soft afternoon after-noon for anybody. That winter rest in California won't do any harm under a trainer such as Ben Jones is." But these are not the only good horses around. The Whitneys have a few which might bring back glory. |
