Swale on the Rail for the Roses

By Tom Callahan

The "other horse " in Woody Stephens' barn takes the Derby

By Woody Stephens out of the hospital, a second-string horse, Swale, won the Kentucky Derby last week for Claiborne Farm and Trainer Stephens, for Mrs. A.B. Hancock Jr. and her son Seth, for the late Bull Hancock in a manner and for the lost Devil's Bag in a way. Throughout 109 prior Derbys, no healthy favorite had ever been scratched, but the Bag literally could not afford to lose. Syndicated for $36 million as a two-year-old of monstrous breeding promise, he was dropped from destiny's consideration on the basis of a victory in the Derby trial that was not victorious enough. His training associate, Swale, Stephens' second favorite three-year-old, was left to carry on. He did so, by 3 1/4 lengths over a perfect stranger to everyone, Coax Me Chad.

Drama in several forms was centered at Claiborne, whose master, Seth Hancock, had been the syndicator of Devil's Bag. So he commended one horse but owned the other. As Devil's Bag's form was declining, Swale was winning the Florida Derby, and Hancock was caught between a frown and a smile. Meanwhile, Stephens fell ill from emphysema, compounded by a rib-rattling fall and exasperated by the collapse of the special horse. "Devil's Bag just never found himself this year," murmured Stephens, 70, who was furloughed from the hospital to watch Swale in person. Looking small and wan, dappled old Woody said with the brave gleam of all winning trainers, "I thought he was a cinch, anyway." A son of 1977 Triple Crown Champion Seattle Slew, Swale favors that great dark bay.

Laffit Pincay, Swale's jockey and Willie Shoemaker's idea of the best rider of the present day, had been second three times in the Derby, starting when Sham chased Secretariat eleven years ago. "I thought I was destined never to win it," he said. Sham had been Bull Hancock's best hope to win it. But Hancock, a gigantic figure in Bluegrass history, died that year. He bred Derby winners, but never owned one. "It's about time," said a lovely woman with white hair, his widow.

Women were central figures in this Derby; it fizzed with equal opportunity. For the only time in 110 years, the pageant involved a female owner, trainer, jockey, horse and Governor. A filly entry of Althea and Life's Magic was the 5-to-2 pick, Swale the 7-to-2 second choice. The No. 1 post position, while symbolic of Althea's place as the first filly favorite in 49 years, constituted no honor. Waiting for 19 other horses to be loaded in the gate is hardship enough for any thoroughbred. But where three-year-old males are blithely ignorant of sexual affairs, a filly is eligible to "horse" at any time, to become distracted by spring. Whatever Althea's excuse, she finished 19th. The lady rider, Patti Cooksey, brought So Vague home a deserving eleventh, just ahead of Biloxi Indian, trained and owned by Dianne Carpenter. One woman in the winner's circle was a certainty though. As she proudly pointed out, Governor Martha Layne Collins was the first of her sex to dispense the trophy.

-- By Tom Callahan