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AWAITING STAR HAWK AND HESPERUS. Churchill Downs Trainers Anxious to View the Macomber Cracks in Action. Louisville. Ky., April 6. — Local trainers and horsemen are eagerly awaiting the arrival at Churchill Downs of A. K. Macombers two English-bred eligibles to the Kentucky Derby. The two colts. Star Hawk and Hesperus, are expected to arrive at the Ikiwns in charge of trainer W. B. Jennings not later than from the 10th to the loth of the present month. While many trainers think that to do their best, imported colts must be in this country longer than the two have been, neither has experienced an hour of sickness since arriving here and the fact that they have received their winter training in a warm climate, makes it more than probable that they will be ready by the date of the Derby. In fact it is doubtful if any of the other eligibles an? further advanced than these two supposed stars. In no previous year have the various Derby candidates trained with less mishap than has ruled this spring. Of course, at times there has been some sickness in various stables at the different tracks, but. with one or two exceptions, in all such cases during the past winter the three -year-olds entered in the Derby have escaiied any setback in their development in winter and early spring training. As the days advance J. S. Wards Dodge continues to make friends as a Derby candidate. No horse could be trnining any better for a great race than this son of Jim Gaffney and he appears to be able to run fast and far. Another thing in his favor in his Derby preparation is that he is at home in any kind of going and, no matter if his regular work day comes when the course is heavy, his trainer has no reason to let up for an instant with him. Trainer Ward intends to ship him to Lexington and at the coming meeting there give him a preliminary race. Price McKinney is thoroughly enjoying his visit here in inspecting the big stable he and his partner James Corrigan. have in training at the Downs in charge of trainer W. C. Clancy. Mr. McKinney has made arrangements to stay at least ten days and has comfortable quarters in a cottage adjoining his big training barn. He reports that there are at his Wickliffe Stud, near Lexington, at present thirty-two yearlings and to date his mares have dropped eighteen foals, only one of which has died. These yearlings will remain at the farm until after the local racing season is over and. about the middle of June, will be brought to Churchill Downs and exercised there for the first time with riders up. From all accounts these yearlings are as fine a collection as has ever been trained by any one racing firm in this country. There are in the band many that are near relatives of some of the greatest horses of this country. Trainer Iete Coyne is now greatly pleased with the way in which the five-year-old Ralph is training. He proposes to send him right along in his preparation and get him ready to race as early as the meeting at the Downs. He did not enter him in either the Clark or Kentucky handicaps and his first stake engagement is the Memorial Handicap at three-quarters at Douglas Park. He is also entered in the Quickstep Handicap at Latonia, another three-quarters race, while the first longer race he is engaged in is the Independence Handicap at a mile and three-sixteenth, which is always run at Latonia, as its name indicates, on the Fourth of July. It can be set down, that if no accident in training happens to him from now on, that he will be one of the chief contenders in the early sprint races at the Downs, in which he will have to meet the winter cruck Bringkurst. a gelding that trainer Louis Tauber believes can show his heels to any other sprinters now quartered at the local tracks. Tauber has secured stable quarters at the Downs for Bringhurst. The only other racer he has in training is the seven-year-old Chartier. Both these horses are at present at Douglas lark, but will hardly be sent to Iexington to race and will probably make their first appearance on the Kentucky tracks at Churchill Downs. Lew Marion has seven horses at the Downs. These embrace Prince HeTmis. Little Nephew, Helen Thompson. St. Charlcote, McAdams, a maiden three-year-old, and a pair of two-year-olds named Honey Shuck and Genevin. Both of these fillies are by English Lad, the former being a bay out of Bessie Welles and the latter a chestnut out of Xallissa. Little Nephew is doing good work for Marion and has so far trained soundly. Prince Hermis was never in better fettle for hard work and bids fair to be as good this year as he was in 1915. His owner and trainer will make a bid again with him for both the Clark Handicap at the Downs and the Kentucky Handicap at Douglas Park. He ran third in the latter race last year and was also close up in the Clark Handicap, though in that race he ran unplaced. Marion thinks he has a promising maiden in McAdams. which only ran a half dozen times last year, and he thinks enough of Helen Thompson to really believe she has a fair chance in the Kentucky Oaks. Another Kentucky Oaks candidate that is training unusually well this spring at the Downs is the chestnut filly Lady Always, which is owned by the Louisville racing firm of Middleton and Jones. This filly is in charge of trainer Dan Lehan, who has previously saddled a Kentucky Oaks winner in Bronzewing. Ijidy Always won one race last year and was three times second in seven starts. She. however, was always raced in the best company, colts and geldings as well as fillies, and it is a matter of record that, with fair racing luck, she should have won the Clipsetta Stakes at Latonia last summer, in which she finished second to Blood Test. She is a daughter of Peter Quince.
