Date: Friday, March 1, 1985
Source: By Bernie Lincicome, Chicago Tribune.
Section: SPORTS
Dateline: HALLANDALE, FLA.
Memo: In the wake of the news.
Headline: FLA. DERBY FIELD MIGHTY APPEALING
HALLANDALE, FLA. – When last we looked in on the wonderful world of horse racing, Devil’sBag was in disgrace and Swale was dead, though it is yet to be determined whogot the best of the deal.
Swale will, at least, always be a champion, while Devil’s Bag suffersincessant blind dates trying to prove that his heirs will be as fragile as hewas.
In addition, Swale was, as a corpse, voted the best 3-year-old on four,if stiff, legs, verifying the eternal wisdom that it is impossible to beat adead horse.
And now the world begins to search for their replacements, the firstsignificant evidence to be made available Saturday in Gulfstream’s FloridaDerby.
Unlike the enormous interest generated by Devil’s Bag last year, or maybebecause of it, there has been little early hype for this season’s TripleCrown contenders.
The only excessive boasting to be done so far has been by the owners ofan animal named Mighty Appealing, who won four of five races as a 2-year-oldand arrived in Florida behind bumper stickers and T-shirts announcing, “GetThat Mighty Appealing Feeling.”
After the horse twice finished eighth in Gulfstream preps to the rear ofthe same horses that it will again meet in the Florida Derby, a bumpersticker appeared saying, “Get That Mighty Appalling Feeling.”Confidence is a cruel flaw in horse racing.
Better to expect the worst, like Phil Simms, the crusty trainer of IrishSur, winner of this year’s Tropical Park Derby but only the most casual ofthreats Saturday.
“Listen,” said Simms. “I don’t think I can beat Woody’s horse and Idon’t think I can beat Veitch’s horse, but I need some proof.”Woody is Woody Stephens, who retired Devil’s Bag and buried Swale. Veitchis John Veitch, hairless trainer of Dr. Carter, who chased Stephens’ horseslast year and caught neither of them.
These two men are again the principal humans involved in the next TripleCrown adventure, though their new roles are reversed.
Veitch has the Florida Derby favorite, Proud Truth, and Stephens has thesecond choice, Stephan’s Odyssey. They would be ranked in the same order ifthis Derby had a different first name, like Kentucky, and the drink of theday was made with mint instead of lime juice.
The two horses raced against each other 11 days ago in the Fountain ofYouth with Veitch’s horse winning by a neck.
“You always got to beat somebody,” Stephens shrugged.
Veitch also has a spare horse, just in case something sinister shouldhappen to Proud Truth. The horse’s name is Script Ohio, and it will not runagainst its stablemate, just as Swale never ran against Devil’s Bag.
“It’s kind of like having a fullback and a halfback,” said Veitch.
“They don’t have to be in the game at the same time.”
Proud Truth and Script Ohio are owned by John Galbreath, were bred andraised at Galbreath’s Darby Dan Farm and at least one of them was named afterthe clever band formation that has long delighted followers of Ohio Statefootball, of which Galbreath is possibly the most notable.
“They’re more like his children than racehorses,” said Veitch.The animals, not the Ohio State band, though there has been the odd tubaplayer who could qualify as both.
Stephan’s Odyssey has a suspiciously similar name to that of Stephenshimself, just one vowel off, and for those who want to believe it, ownerHenryk deKwiatkowski will even agree to such romantic gibberish.How nice it would be if, at age 72, and after the ordeal of Devil’s Bagand Swale, Stephens could win the Kentucky Derby with a horse who is hisnamesake.
But around the family table, deKwiatkowski reassures a nephew that thehorse was named for him. Blood is at least as thick as business.
No matter. Proud Truth and Stephan’s Odyssey are the horses to watch inthe first important stakes of the year.
“A double-barreled shotgun,” said Danny Perlsweig, trainer of Do ItAgain Dan, another horse named for someone else.
The best 3-year-old on paper will be on the same track, but not in thesame race as the horses of Veitch and Stephens.
It is called Chief’s Crown, trained by Roger Laurin, and it won theEclipse Award as the best 2-year-old of 1984, but has yet to set hoof on turfthis season.
Chief’s Crown will run only 7 furlongs Saturday in a race manufacturedfor him and named after the late Swale, winner of last year’s Florida Derbyas a pre-cadaver.
So much is thought of Chief’s Crown that, like Devil’s Bag, he hasalready been syndicated, but with considerably more caution.
Only half of the syndication has been dispersed for $20 million. Theother half will be sold when and if the horse finally does something tojustify greater investment.
Chief’s Crown has been bothered by a cough all winter, and not even theSouthern sun has been able to eliminate it, not an uncommon complaint fromhuman tourists who fail to find Florida cures even at larcenous prices.
As far as is known, however, during his lengthy recuperaton, Chief’sCrown has resisted wearing black kneesocks with flowered shorts.