Confusing Repetoire

Given the proposition that there is no standout horse in next week's Kentucky Derby, 44,230 people went looking for a likely bet in the Wood Memorial at Jamaica last week. They came away shaking their heads after UNCLE MILTIE, the favorite, finished eighth.*

Battlefield, last year's money-winning-est two-year-old, had already been declared out of the Derby. ROUGH 'N TUMBLE, the California champion, was on the shelf with splints. Greentree's well-liked BIG STRETCH had been publicly embarrassed in a Keeneland prep when an upstart named RUHE gave him a three-length beating. Out in Nevada, some legalized handbook players were still contemplating the 30-to-1 odds offered against the chances of BILL BAILEY, a horse that died last month in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The air was no clearer in New York, where 13 three-year-olds showed up for the 27th running of the mile-and-a-six-teenth Wood, the East's final Derby test. Despite the fact that he practically trains himself, had apparently reached his peak a month too soon, and had run a disappointing eighth against much the same field the previous week, UNCLE MIL TIE, was backed into even-money favoritism. Neglected at 13-to-2 was REPETOIRE, a game chestnut colt with a misspelled name who was not bred to run very far, but has managed to win all four of his 1951 starts.

Jockey Pete McLean broke REPETOIRE forwardly, but elected to move up gradually while racing out of harm's way on the outside. Turning into the stretch, he made his run at the front horse, INTENT, a 9-to-1 shot. REPETOIRE was forced wide as the leader bore out, recovered and had enough left to beat late-rushing BATTLE MORN (10-to-1) by a head in a modest 1:44 2/3 Third was INTENT, running only the third race of his career and possibly a comer.

Would REPETOIRE go on to win at Churchill Downs? Views varied in the Jamaica paddock. Said Jockey McLean: "Four races, four wins--why not?" Said one veteran horseman: "BATTLE MORN lost a lot of ground and looked best." Said another: "Not one of them dogs can run a lick. To me they looked like the field for the Charlestown Derby."

*This week UNCLE MILTIE'S owner began to suspect that a rest might do the colt more good than a trip to Kentucky.

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