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JJ ** ,|. da? tl the 11 » tt D 1" " • ," . " to ,. at ■ . ■ ii t a o of ■ y | . , , , i I 1 l [ . GOSSIP AND COMMENT FROM KENTUCKY. LouhrrBle, Ky.. May 21. -it is questionable whether there was ever a great race where so many eligibles have shown on the eve of its running such brilliant racing form as for the rich Kentucky Handicap, to be run at Douglas Park the coming Satin afternoon. This event. Hie big feature race ol opening day of the thirteen days meeting at this track, with its 0,000 in added money, now seems sure to Imve a held of from a dozen to tif teen horses strong. Luke McLuke. which won the third race at the Downs Tuesday and ran a mile and a sixteenth, pulled up. in 1:45%, within a second of the track record for this distance, is in the Kentucky Handicap with an impost of UNI pounds and now loom-up as a dangerous contender among the three year olds engaged. Besides Luke McLuke. the probable starlets include the three-year-olds Hodge. Belloc and Brony.ew ing. and four others regarded as certain start are Solar Star. Kudolfo. Gowell and Bon-erail. which Snished noses apart in track record time the Downs Tuesday at one mile and an eighth. All are in the big race Saturday to advantage, Go-wells weight being Ids. Donerails 111 and kit doitos 117. Aside from the above-named eight, sufficient of tl ther eligibles will start to swell the held to the number above noted, and it will be an exceedingly open race and for that reason one the greatest speculative events of the season. Trainer Weir is still wavering as to sending tin Kentucky Derby winner. Old Rosebud, to the l ost next Saturday with Ins ll." pounds impost. lie will not say as yet that the great three-year-old gelding will not start, nor will he admit that he may send him to the post. He seems to think the handicap-pen are asking too much of Old Rosebud in the early events this season, as the imposts assigned him are greater than any three-year old gelding has ever been asked to carry in such races as early in the year as the month of Mav. It must be conceded, however, that old Rosebud has a prestige which few three-year olds have ever enjoyed thai won the Kentucky Derby, ami it is likely that the handicappors would have asked in such races as the Clark and Kentucky Handicaps quite as much from such three-year-olds as Hindoo. Leonaltts and Ben Brush. Kentucky Derby winners of transcendalit merit. Trainer Weir rather fears the large held sure to go to tbe post Saturday iu the big race at Douglas Park, as he thinks some accident might befall Old Rosebud at the post as will as during the running of the race, which would kip him from rilling his many three-year-old engagements, all of which his owners and trainer regard as at his men v. Tomorrow will bring the end of one of tin- most successful meetings ever held at Churchill Downs] with the historic Kentucky Oaks, lirst tun off. in 1875, as the feature. Tin- meeting at the Downs this spring lias been a record breaker from tin- lie ginning and that it will lose iu a blaze of glory no one doubts. Tin- attendance to see tin- running of Hie Kentucky Oaks is expected to rival that of Derby da] aside from the free held feature. J. .1. Met alleily is at the local courses will* Spolm. a good racer in other days. lie has two horses turned out at Lexington, one a two varolii. ■ bv Russell, that he will not lake up for a while yet. These ale all the horses he has had in training simi lie gave up J. S. Tyrees big string of performers some months ago. J. B. Bespess has shipped eleven of his borseS to Douglas Park and these he will race also at Latonia. His Canadian string, in charge of trainer Al Kirby. numbers nine head, and have already arrived safely at Toronto, where tiny will Brat race this season. Mr. Bospess has some promising two-year-olds among his horses at Douglas Park ami of these frill,, Albert. Timepiece ami Wild Rose are eligible to the Spring Trial Stakes a I that course. Margaret P.. which won her second start al tho Downs Tuesday, is another promising winner from the select stud of W. W. Pardon and is an eligible to the Clipsctla Stakes, to be run during the coming Latonia meeting. Her dam. Bewitched, la a daugli ter of Frankfort, a brother to Hamburg, and is nwt of the famous race mare Greenwich, by Hlmyar Greenwich, during her career on the turf, won forty races and produced a colt that never raced, but showed well enough in his trials as a two year-old to induce Fred Gehhard to pay .*PMNm» for him at that age. He died before lie was well into his two-year-old form, with the reputation of being one Of the fastest yearlings ever raised at Haiubnrg Place. Harden may have a filly above the average in Margaret D. Her sire. Ivan the Terrible, is surely proving a stud success. Price McKlnney, owner of a great band of stallions and broodmares purchased from the estate ol" the late James 11. Keene. carries no insurance on any of these great horses. lie figures thai if lie owned only a few horses id value it would pay him to carry insurance, but having so much capital involved, he carries his own insurance, in other words, he takes the risk of death and accident iu their ranks.
