$500,000 Stymie

Five years ago, when the red horse with the blond tail was born on a 970,000-acre Texas ranch, nobody had ever heard much about his father--but Stymie's greatgrandfather on both sides of the family was Man o' War. When he ran three years ago in a $1,500 claiming race, Stymie sank about as low as bigtime race horses can sink. Last week, by galloping home in the Gallant Fox Handicap at Jamaica, Long Island, Stymie became the second horse in history to earn more than a half-million dollars.*

Stymie was three lengths in front of the Argentine-bred Rico Monte, five lengths ahead of the Kentucky Derby winner, Assault. His time--2:42 2 4/5--clipped a fifth of a second off Jamaica's 1 5/8-mile track record. Stymie paid off at a handsome 5-to-1. Reason: practically everybody bet on a record-wrecker named Lucky Draw (TIME, Sept. 23), who seemed a cinch to become the "Horse of the Year" after smashing six track records in his last eight races. Lucky Draw finished eighth; the top weight and the distance were too much.

Threats from Abroad. No matter which horse the experts singled out at year's end--Stymie, Lucky Draw or Armed--there would be no clear-cut U.S. champion in 1946. But two other nations had turned up wonder horses, and their owners were pointing them for U.S. races.

In France, a big brown three-year-old named Souverain won the Grand Prix de Paris, then crossed the Channel to meet Britain's best in the King George VI stakes last month. It was no contest: Souverain won, eased up, by five lengths.

Australia's pride was Bernborough, a six-year-old stallion that was being talked about the way the Aussies once talked about Phar Lap. Bernborough, who stands a whopping 17 hands high, won 15 straight races in Australia before he finally was beaten.

A special race next spring between Souverain, Bernborough and whatever U.S. horse looks best by then might well be the race of the century.

-Stymie's total: $516,285. The only horse ahead of him was Whirlaway, the all-time champion, who earned $561,161.

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