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DERBY HORSES HELD AT HIGH FIGURES. Easterner in Unsuccessful Quest in Kentucky lor Good Three-Year-Old — Louisville Gossip. 1 isilb-. Ky.. April :;. — An illu t ration of the stn.les ilial racing is making throughout the country aiil I lit- prestige of I lit- sport in Kentucky is furnished by the fait that at present it is almost impossible i sarchase for any reasonable sum any Bead race horae of established merit. For a week or more a prominent aKTI wealthy eastern turfman has been making endeavors to secure a three-year-old eligible t rare in the Kentuck Derby this season with a good u liming chance. He has priced such performers as the Derby favorite, Old Kosebud. Bradleys Choice. F.ools and Saddle. Black Toney aJd Hodge. Die huge sum of 5,000 is asked for Old Kosebud. While E. It. Bradley has stated he will not take less than *0.000 for either of his trio of clacks. Bradley*! Choice. Boots and Saddle and Block Tonev. As to Hodge. K. Sj ence refused even to name a figure for that chestnut geldiug after turning down an offer of 0,000 for him. Ualph i~ owned by George J. Long, a turfman who never selK a great horse uo matter how high the bid is. and it is not likely that either J. N. Cainden or K. F. Carman would part with their reOpectlTe Derby candidates. Bringhurst and Surprising. Another hone engaged in the Derby not for sale is .1. Ma Mauus Belloc and Waterbass. Amos Turney- lack, probably could not be bought for any reasonable sum. No owner with a good horse cares to sell and there la so much in sight this season for good three-year-olds that owners of promising prospects are holding on in the hope that they may have in their barn the best bone of this age. Even al 835,000 Old Rosebud would be cheap could he win the Kentucky, Latonia and Dorval Dcrbys. for i lie value of these three races this season would almost equal the price now asked for him. If he WlM llie Kentucky Derby in the same invincible style in which he captured the six big stakes he won last season as a kindergarten performer, his ehaacn of making a clean sweep of the three big Derby races of 1914 must he considered good. Though beaten in the Kentucky Derby this seasou a three year old running creditably in that event will not depreciate in value, for a field of wou-dciiiillv bod dan will go to the post this season lor the race. As good a judge as Thomas H. Kyan thinks Hodge lias a royal chance to beat Old Rose-bml or any other three-year-old in the Kentucky Derby. IJv.in says th.v. if he was about a hundred pounds heavier lie thinks he would surely win Ihe Derby, regardless of the dazzling speed of Old Kosebud and oilier narks engaged in the race like Ralph, Bringhunst and Bradleys Choice. Ryan means by this if his natural weight were a hundred pounds more than it now is. Hodge is growing uionili by month, but J. E. Madden thinks he may be a four year -old before lie gels his full development. Hodge lias the blood of high class horses in Ids make up. His dam. Nannie Hodge, was a speedy rare mare up to seven furlongs and able to hold her own in good company on the big eastern tracks as well as in the west. She is by Rossing-ton. a brother in Mood to the unbeaten Epsom Derby winner. Ormonde, the sire of Orrne. which in turn go; the Derby winner, the sensational Flying Fox. Hodges second dam is Annie Blackburn, by Ten Breech, a record holder in his day at all distances up to four miles, while his great grand dam is the famous broodatsre, F.elle Knighi. the dam of that sen-;it ioiial race horse. Freeland. which beat the famous Mis Woodford in several great races. Belle Knight was by Knighthood, a son of ihe St. Leger winner. Knight of St. George. So he is bred well enough to be a Derby winner, as his sire. Ivan the Terrible, is ■ s..n of Pirate of Penzance, which was by Ihe famous Prince Charlie, the sire of Sal-valor, whose record of 1 :3S% for a mile is still the American mark at this distance. A Derby candidate that is looking exceedingly well in his training quarters at Douglas Park is John V. Schorrs Hen Brush colt. Vandergrift. He has grown and spread out greatly incp last season and is much admired by many good judges, who think he may liave a winning chance in the big race this spring. His site was a Deny winner and has in turn got a number of high class horses, including Broomstick, the sire of Meridian, winner of the Kentucky Derby of 1911. and Delhi, sire of many good horses. F. D. Weir, trainer of Old Rosebud, has an abundance of good Jockey material under his control this spring in the three licensed riders .1. MeCabe, J. Booty and B. Marco. MeCabe exercises the Derby favorite regularly sad lie will Me Old Rosebud in all bis races this season. Marco can ride at light weights and is considered one of the best of the i if rrlnlag brigade. He will no doubt this season improve in his race riding, since he does fairly well when he is able to get away from the barrier in the tirst flight. Much interest la tak "ii by hssacaan generally in .lames Butler- I wo-.v e*r old band in ehanre of John 1 ..we at Churchill Dowes. All the owners of good Iwo-year-okhl are watching closely the members of this "stable, especially the much talked about colt, l.asi Coin, which has yet to face the barrier, and Ihe crack illy, Climber, as yet unbeaten and winner of the Seuorilas Stakes and two other races during the recent Juarez meeting. A number of horsemen fancy Gypsy, a daughter of the groat Ben Brush, out • f Runaway Girl, by Domino. Supremacy is another that has many admirers and. in fact, the entire collection, in the opinion of most good judges, will make good on the Kentucky tracks this season. As good a horseman as Col. W. E. Applegate thinks Cliutber will be as invincible in Kentucky this season among the llllee as she was during the recent .Miarez meeting. It is to be regretted that she is not in the Breeders Futurity at Lexington, as she might go from here and win that rich event as the Illy Housemaid did the tirst year the stake was run over the Kentucky Assoriat ions track, in 1010. She lias surely shown this year in public as well as Housemaid did in private for that race.
