130 HISTORY OF THE 



FORTY-FOURTH DERBY 1918 



In the presence of the greatest crowd that ever thronged 

 Churchill Downs and over a track fetlock deep in mud, Willis 

 Sharpe Kilmer's ches\tnut gelding Exterminator, saddled by 

 Henry McDaniel, and capably ridden by W. Knapp, scored 

 an easy victory over seven other good three-year olds in the 

 forty-fourth running of the Kentucky Derby this afternoon. 

 Kenneth D. Alexander's crack Broomstick colt, Escoba, ridden 

 by Joe Notter, finished second, a length back of the winner and 

 eight lengths in front of Viva America, the only filly that started 

 in the race. A. K. Macomber's imported War Cloud, a heavy 

 favorite in the speculation and which would have paid a little 

 less than three to two, had he won, was never a serious factor 

 and finished fourth, beaten all of the way. 



The winner was given but scant consideration by the bettors, 

 being the least regarded of the eight that made up the field after 

 Aurum and Jim Heffering had been withdrawn. Exterminator 

 paid his backers the handsome odds of nearly thirty to one and 

 in winning upset all calculations and brought consternation to 

 the ranks of the form players, who went to War Cloud with 

 rare confidence. 



It was after five o'clock when the bugle called the horses to 

 the post for the Derby, in which a big surprise was in store for 

 the spectators. Every inch of space in clubhouse and grand- 

 stand was taken, while a solid mass of humanity lined the 

 lawns a quarter of a mile long, extending from clubhouse to 

 the quarter pole, almost to the head of the homestretch. The 

 procession of eight sleek thoroughbreds, trained to the minute, 

 led by the outrider on a gray horse, garbed in a fiery jacket, 

 made an imposing picture. The gay silks of the jockeys with 

 the verdant field for a background, gave just the right touch of 



