T
urn off State Route 96 and keep
going until you are sure you
have come to nowhere, and you
will find the down-on-its-luck
town of McCracken, Kansas. There's noth-
ing to see here, nothing to do here. The
bank, the hotel, the school, the bar, they're
all closed now. What's left is a post office, a
gas station, a working grain elevator and, at
last count, 190 people. But Janis Whitham
will tell you there's something special about
a place like this. She's not from McCracken,
but she might as well be. The owner of one
of the favorites for the GI Kentucky Der-
by, Whitham, 85, grew up and still lives in
a place much like this. She knows all about
small-town values, a deep pride in your
community and the joys of living life at a
peaceful pace.
"That's me," Whitham said. "I'm a little old
lady from Kansas."
She is all that, but she's also an owner
and breeder who has accomplished much
in the sport and might do even more as the
road to the Kentucky Derby unwinds, as
the owner of the 3-year-old colt McCraken
(Ghostzapper), a two-time stakes winner at
2 who was an easy winner of his 3-year-old
debut in the GIII Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay
Downs. That she named a horse McCraken
reveals two things about Whitham: she's
proud of her heritage, and she's not the
best speller. Her GI Breeders' Cup Classic
winner Fort Larned (E Dubai) was named for
07
By BILL FINLEY
