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Show GREAT FIELD TO FACE STARTER IN KENTUCKY DERBY; FORMER EVENTS Owners of Second and Third Raters Will Send Entries to Post in Hope That Lightning May Strike; Speculation Will Be Upset in Case Track Is Muddy. By CHARLES A REINHARD. Special to The Tribune. LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 4. Three years ago the greatest field of starters in numbers sixteen strong went to the post in the Kentucky derby, which that year was won by Harry Payne Whitney 's great filly Regret. The largest number of starters previously was in the inaugural year of the event in 1875, when it was won by Aristides, which was one of a field of fifteen starters. Last year, when Omar tfhayyam captured the rich event, a similar number of starters faced the barrier. From present indications all records in this respect will be surpassed at Churchill Downs on May 11, the date set this season for the forty-fourth running run-ning of the classic. The opinion is founded on the fact that not within recent years have so few of the eligibles been forced to withdraw as prospective starters, owing to accidents in training. And, as a matter of fact, not one of the colts or fillies regarded as prominent promi-nent aspirants for the prize has been thrown out of training. To all intents and purposes, they will all start, provided, pro-vided, of course, nothing of an untoward unto-ward nature compels their withdrawal prior to the date of the ro.ee. It is true that fears were entertained that the splint that developed on one of Escoba's legs might eliminate that brilliant colt from tbe contest, but all such fears have been banished, now that the colt has been full- gotten over the trouble and j would be a sure starter in the derby. While public opinion would indicate I that the race lies between Sun Briar, ! Escoba, War Cloud, Jack Hare, Jr., ! Freecutter. and possibly four or live, of the first-class fillies, there are quite, a number of owners of what are regarded as second or third-raters who will start their eligibles in the belief that the unexpected may happen in the race. The history of the derby is replete with surprises, and these men cherish the hope that the lightning is due to Btrike this year, and that one of the least regarded re-garded eligibles is due to furnish one of the biggest supsct's of the classic. Outcome Uncertain. Men who have witnessed the running of former derbies can not recall one with so much uncertainty. It is no einrh that any oDe of the so-called cracks will succeed in winning this fear's renewal, and because of this the contest this year possesses great spectacular spec-tacular interest. Recent, "sure" winners win-ners have been displaced by the fast work of tome other eligible, and with the race, but a short time off no one seems able to select the horse able to go the derby distance of a mile and a quarter and win. Condition will tell the story this time, just as it did last vear when the late Charles Patterson sent the victory first under the wire in Omar Khayyam. Well-posted turfmen declare that the race is more open than it has been in years. Because of this, the field will be larger than usual, with more than one owner feeling that his name is to be added to the list that started the day Price McGrath's green and vellow sash were carried to victory forty-three years ago by Aristides, afterwards famous as the "little red horse." There are a few turfmen left who witnessed the triumph of Aristides, and they will tell you that ho was the smallest horso that ever won the ' classic. He was a son of imported Ieamington. one of tho greatest horses ever brought to this country from England, whither he sent back a son, Iroquois, to win the derby at Epsom. Aristides was named for Leamington's owner, Aristides Wolsh, of Philadelphia. Aristides coupled with his stablemate, Chesapeake, which finished fin-ished fourth, was favorito, ridden by Oliver Lewis. Aristides went to tho front at the end of the first half mile, and from thore to the finish the race was never in doubt. He won by three lengths from Volcano, with Verdigris third, the time for the mile and a half being 2:37. There were fifteen starters, start-ers, and they were sent away without delay by Coionel W. H. Johnson, whilo Colonel M. Lewis Clark, president of the club which had been organized by him, was the presiding official in the stand. Maiden in 1884. It is not often that a maiden scores in the derby, but an instanco of this kind was recorded in 1884, when Buchanan, Bu-chanan, carrying the colors of Captain 8. S. Brown, of Pittsburg, won easily by a length and a hajf from Loftin, with Audrian third, and the favorite. Bob Miles, fourth. Buchanan was a magnificent looking son of Buckden, and was bred by Captain W. Cottrell, of Mobile, Ala. It was the consensus of opinion that tho field of ten that ran for the derby of 188'6 was the best since Aristidjes' year. Ben Ali, son of Virgil, the third by that sire to make a success in this prize, was the favorito, carrying tho colors of James B. llaggin. ' Ho was ridden by P. Duffy, and won by three parts of a length, after a driving finish with Blue Wing. Tho timo, 2:3fi'e, was a new record for tho race, the previous best having been Lord Murphy's 2:37 for the one mile and a half. The biggest big-gest upset that ever attended the running run-ning of tbe derby came in 1889, when Noah Armstrong's Spokane, at 10 to 1, and ridden by Tom Kilcy, won by a short head from Proctor Knott, the 1 to .'! favorite, which lost the race when he swerved with Pike Barnes at the head of the stretch. Proctor Knott ran as the property of Scoggnn & Rry-nnt. Rry-nnt. The winner's time was 2:34 1, anil that stands today as the record lor the race at the one mile and a half distance. Tn 189G the derby distance was changed to a mile ami a quarter, Ben Brush being the first ono to win that event at the shorter distance. The derby record for a mile anil a quarter was made by Old Knscbud. which scored in the race in 1911, his mark being 2:03 3-5. Tn winning the race two seasons sea-sons ago, George Smith camo within (Continued on Following Page.) none of the quartette which the " Pickle King" has entered in the derby likes the soft going. He had two of them, Aurum and American, exeustd at Lexington Lex-ington recently because the course was heavy. It is probable that Major Thomas McDowell has two fillies in Plum and Olive Wood that arc good mu riders. Both of these misses showed last summer sum-mer they could negotiate the soft goinj: in their victories' around Saratoga. Olive Wood is certainly a fast mare on any kind of going. Freecutter, George Long's eligible, can run fairly well in the soft going, but. he is thought to be at his best on a fast course. Jaybird, a colt by Peep o'Day, in John W. Schorr's barn, cun spread the pigeon-wing pigeon-wing in the mud. This is the bird that the wily brewer will about shoot with for the classic. So hajje a care if the track is muddy. Papp, last year's futurity winner, can run m the mud, but he has not been to the races this year and nothing can be gleaned as to his condition. War Cloud, the fast foreign-bred colt Mr. Macomber is said to be pointing for the classic, probably can negotiate soft going. If Trainer Jennings Jen-nings starts this speedy colt he will have to be given a chance, for he was about as fast as any two-year-old that wore hair towards the tail end of the season last year. He is one that may take the number of all of the cracks in the classic. Escoba Dry Course Horse. Experts' say Escoba does not like mud. They prove this by his inferior races at Saratoga last summer, when he was disgracefully beaten in several stakes at tho Spa. Viva America showed a fondness for the heavy going last year, but after her performance at Lexington recently it would seem as if the speedy little filly is not of derby caliber. Duke of Savoy, the "dark horse" for the classic, can run all day in the mud. His breeding indicates that, being by Uncle, out of Lady Savoy. Little is" known of the merits of the Whitney eligibles in the soft going. Rosie O 'Grady probably can negotiate the heavy course.' She ran well in the mud last season. It inav bo that H. P. Whitney Whit-ney has anolher Kegret in this speedy daughter.' Atalanta, Senator Camden's fast filly, can cut up all kinds of shines in the "soft going. She is bred to go a route, too, being by Uncle. There are others, which showed little in their two-year-old form, that may prove to be good mudders, but that remains re-mains to be seen. Right now, if the track is muddy on derby day, it would not be bad to string along with Sun Briar, if you are a favorite player. As for longshots, take a fling at Lucky B., Sewell Combs or Duke of Savoy. GREAT FIELD FOR BIS KENTUCKY DERBY "(Continued from Preceding Page ) two-fifths of a second of equaling this mark. Last season the imported Omar Khayyam ran the distance in 2:04 3-5. In the event of fast track conditions prevailing on the afternoon of -May 11. it is believed that the winner of this year's renewal of the race will improve upon Omar Khayyam's time, while many profess to believe that Old Rosebud's record will be endangered. Some Like Mud. Sewell Combs, the son of Jack Atkins, At-kins, recently showed he was a "bearcat" "bear-cat" in the soft going, when he took into camp Everest, a son of Ben Brush, Senator Camden's derby dependable, at the opening day of the Loxington meeting. meet-ing. It was a wise-playing public in Kentucky, and when track conditions indicated a wetness the talent went right to Sewell Combs as if it was all over. Had the track been fast Everest probably would have been the favorite. favor-ite. Even W. P. Dabney, a Jikely looking look-ing colt by Marathon, was in front of Everest at the finish. Here is another "mudder. " He showed it as a two-year-old, and in the saying of the turf ' Weisenheimer, ' once a mudder always a mudder. These three derby candidates, candi-dates, being the only ones to show top form at Lexington, brings forth an argument ar-gument as to the chances of the eligibles eli-gibles in the big race to be run at Churchill Downs. Again track conditions condi-tions will figure as to the probable winner win-ner of America's "blue ribband." Should the course go soft on May 11 there are many eligibles it will aid considerably. Take for instance, Sun Briar, the ante-post ante-post favorite. It .is a sure thing this foreign-bred colt runs better in the soft going than on a hard track. All his triumphs around Saratoga were over a track deep in sand and mud. Then, again, at Empire City, in bis early career, probably before he rounded into racing form, he was not so much shakes over that course, which had a hard cushion, as it formerly was used for trotters. Churchill Downs is just made to "order for Sun Briar. It is more like the soil and going at Saratoga than anv race sourse in America. So, if Sun Brian trains on like his conditioner, Henry McDaniel. says he is doing, anil the course is made heavier still by rain, all the valet will have to do on Slav 11 is to hang the big bunch of flowers around the neck of the Kilmer colt, after the derby classic has been run. That is the way it looks now from this side, despite the fact that the colt was beaten on his first start of 1918 at Lexington. Likes Soft Going. Of course, there are other good mud- ders eligible to start in the derby, and hero are a few of them: There is Lucky B., owned bv O. A. Biaqcbi. This colt bv Jim Gaffney showed his predilection predi-lection for the soft going in his two-year-old form, and it goes wivhout saying, say-ing, he can still run in it, us his owner claims his charge has been training nicely. Jack Hare, Jr., Colonel Applegate's candidate, is another soft -track colt which has been showing sterling performances per-formances in sprint races at Havre de Grace. The only question about Jack Hare, Jr., is whether he can go the route. He has as much speed as any horse in the country for a distance under a mile. He may go on. That is to be proven. Most1 'ioblldatt, trainer for the Livingston stable, declares that |