Horse Racing: Sweet Revenge

Willie Shoemaker was in a snit. He was also in a quandary. In the Kentucky Derby, two weeks before, Willie had wound up a dismal third on the favorite, Rex Ellsworth’s undefeated Candy Spots. Now, as the band played Maryland, My Maryland, eight thoroughbreds paraded to the post for the $180,000 Preakness at Pimlico. Candy Spots again was the favorite (at 3-2), and Shoemaker struggled with strategy. Should he try to match strides with Harry Guggenheim’s pace-making Never Bend, the Derby runner-up? Or should he hang back until the stretch, then try to outduel John Galbreath’s late-charging Chateaugay, the Derby winner? Said Willie: “I decided not to worry about Never Bend. Chateaugay was the horse I had to beat.”

Shoemaker guessed right. As the horses broke from the gate for the 1 ³∕16-mile race, Never Bend quickly grabbed the lead, and opened up a gap of nearly two lengths in the backstretch. Candy Spots was galloping easily in third place, and Chateaugay was a distant seventh. Rounding the final turn, Shoemaker glanced back: Chateaugay was beginning to move. He clucked at Candy Spots. Into the stretch the horses thundered—Never Bend in front, Candy Spots second, Chateaugay now third and closing fast on the outside. In an instant, Candy Spots had the lead, Chateaugay was second, and Shoemaker went to his whip. “My horse is inclined to loaf when he gets in front,” he explained. He whacked Candy Spots on the right, shifted the whip to his left hand and whacked the big red colt some more. Gobbling up ground with his mammoth stride (estimated at 28 ft.), Candy Spots drew out, flashed across the finish line 3½ lengths ahead of Chateaugay. In the winner’s circle, grooms draped a blanket of black-eyed Susans over Candy Spots, and Eddie Arcaro thumped Shoemaker on the back. “Revenge is sweet, isn’t it?” he asked. Said Shoemaker: “It sure is sweet. It sure is.”