Sport: Out of Bunyan by Runyon

From the moment he trotted onto the track, Silky Sullivan must have known he was on the spot. California horseplayers knew what the implausible chestnut could do. They had seen him before, loafing while a fast field stole a 40-length lead, then blazing into the stretch—and a narrow victory—as though his tail were on fire. Could he do it again? This was the $130,500 Santa Anita Derby, and Silky was up against nine swift three-year-olds, including Old Pueblo, the last one to beat him. If he lost this time, people might suspect he was...