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STAB HAWK BEGABDED WITH FAVOR. Gillies Sent to Belmont Park and Will Not Start in the Kentucky Derby. Louisville. Ky.. May 1. — There is no doubt that A. K. Macombcrs royally-bred Kentucky Derby candidate. Star Hawk, is daily growing more in favor among horsemen at the Downs. On the dams side this grand-looking three-year-old traces to the mare Martha Dunn, the line from which comes Old Rosebud, which won the Kentucky Derby of 1914. This family has contributed many famous horses to the turf in the last forty years. To it belongs that remarkable three-year-old Claude, which won the California, Tennessee, St. Loui* and Canadian Derbys. and ran second to The Picket in Un-American Derby, giving the latter twelve pounds. Other famous stars tracing to this family are the American Derby winner Wyetb, the two Suburban Handicap winners Troubadour and Go Between, the wonderful race mare Ida Pickwick and snch other superior racers as Virginias. Kildare. Lizzie Krepps. Pupil, Lucania, Keenau, Patron, Lisimony. Sheriff Bell. Ascender. Sister Mary, Dr. Catlett, Ten Booker. T. M. Greene, Ten Candles and Louise. It is the No. 6 family of the Bruce Lowe figure system. Report comes here of two extremely fine yearlings that have been praised highly by good judges recently at Lexington. One is a handsome chesnut filly by McGee — Melissa, by Star Shoot, which is owned by Hal Price Headley, he buying the mare from Thomas Brown, while the other is a slashing bay colt by Marathon out of the dam of the speedy mare Lady Monet, which youngsters is the property of W. E. Walsh. This colt is marked almost like his half-sister. Both have a crescent in their forehead, while the colt has a right hind ankle white and the mare a white fore ankle. It is re-l orted that when a weanling Walsh refused ,500 for this colt last September and he now would not take twice this sum for him. The dam of this colt is due to foal to Jack Atkin. while Melissa is exacted daily to drop a foal by Ivan the Terrible. A. K. Macombers Kentucky Derby candidates worked the best training gallops of the season over the Derby route at Churchill Downs Sunday. Hes-]ktus. which trainer Walter Jennings says he is not preparing for the Derby, was a distant trailer to his stable companions Star Hawk and The Cock, ridden resjMctively by jockeys P. Louder and M. Garner. The Cock started about a length and u half in front of Star Hawk. He maintained this lead until the end of the mile when Star Hawk moved up and held a half length lead. Both were slowed down in the last eighth and at no time during the workout were they fully extended. The mile and a quarter was covered in 2:08%: fractions: 12%. 24. 36%, 48%. 1:01%. 1:14%, 1:27%. 1:40%. 1:53%. The mile, from stand to stand, was run in 1:42%. Both had their Derby weight up. The trial was highly impressive and gained many followers for the grand-looking colts. Trainer Jennings has an abundance of time to tighten the two up for the I erby. It is the general impression now that both will Ik- saddled for the big race. Before shipping Gillies and Marse Henry to Belmont Park the pair worked u mile at Churchill Downs, slowed up, in 1:50%, covering the first seven-eighths in 1:34%. They are both heavy in flesh yet. J. E. Madden several weeks ago intended to prepare Gillies»for the Kentucky Derby. He at that time even went so far as to engage R. Goose to ride him in the race. About that time, however, the son of Ogden went a bit lame, which enforced him being let up for more than a week in his training and, as a consequence, his owner abandoned the idea of attempting to train him for the Derby. It is understood that if he continues to do well, while at Belmont Park in the next few-weeks, he may be sent back to Kentucky to run in the Latonia Derby. Recent good gallops of horses at the Downs track are given below: Money Maker— Mile in 1:45. Black Beauty— Five-eighths in 1:03; half mile in 49%. Kathleen worked behind her. Belgian Trooi er — Three-eighths in 42. Old Koenig — Three-quarters in 1:23; cantering. King Belle— Three -eighths in 38. Faux -Col — Five-eighths in 1:03%; half mile in 49%. Prince S.— Mile in l:47y5- Sparkler — Three -quarters in 1:20. Kenward- Quarter mile in 26%. Hemlock worked with him. Luk- Mae — Half mile in 50; three-eighths in 37%. Trainer Alln-rt Simons has l»een training H. P. Whitneys band of two-.vear-olds from the barrier in the last few days, and working them in this way quarters around :24. They are as well advanced in preparation as any youngsters in training here. Trainer Walter Jennings has been pursuing the same course with several of the A. K. Macomber English-bred two-year-olds and some of them show a good turn of early speed. The smart two-year-old Little Ford is again on the track, but still goes a bit sore. She, liowver. is niich improved now in this respect to over what she was a week or more ago. George Smith was bred in Kentucky by Cliinn and Forsythe and. when sold at public sale as a yearling, only brought 00. His present owner paid 5,000 for him and if he can win the Kentucky Derby he will 1k even a cheap horse at the latter figure. At present locally, he and Bulse are regarded as second choices for the Kentucky Derby, H. P. Whitneys entry still having the call. Xext in favor at present is the pick of A. K. Maicomliers candidates. Star Hawk. Hesperus and The Cock. Xext to them F. J. Xolans Lena Misha is the best liked here. From present indications there is no reason yet to doubt that the field in the Derby next Saturday week will be in numbers as strong as last year, when sixteen three-year-olds faced the barrier. When Grover Hughes won the Phoenix Hotel Handicap at Lexington last Thursday, it marked his forty -third winning race and his 159th start. The only year he has failed to win since he first came on the turf was when he was a five-year-old in 1913. As a two-year-old in 1910 he won four races; seven races in 1911, as a three-year-old: twelve races in 1912. as a four-year-old; thirteen races in 1914. as a six-year-old; six races in 1915. as a seven-year-old. and his first start so far this season as an eight -year-old. Grover Hughes had a narrow escai e from meeting death when he was a two-year-old and was then owned by Dillard Hill. Lightning struck the barn in which he was quartered at the Churchill Downs track and the horses in the stalls on each side of him were both hopelessly crippled by the bolt. The lightning ran in one stall, came out and struck a post and went in the other stall, leaving Grover Hughes in the center str.ll unharmed in any way. Trainer Jack Adkins is much pleased now with the two-year-olds that R. D. Mackenzie recently purchased in California. They landed here a bit low in flesh, but they have picked up since, and all of them, though still green, now act well on the track. So far it would seem that he has some good racing prospects in this band of youngsters. This early nearly all the thirty-five pari-mutuel machines in the betting ring at Churchill Downs have been put in place and Grainger and Company, patentees and manufacturers of the devices, have furnished each box with a canvas curtain to keep out the dust. It is a great improvement over anything yet utilized to protect the machines from accumulating the dirt or flying dust. One of the late improvements around the grandstand is converting the old band quarters in that structure into boxes. The band stand will now be at the top of the seats in that building. The new arrangement gives the band as much quarters as it ever has had and also increases the box capacity of the grandstand. Many other improvements around the gates and various entrances to the grounds are rapidly being pushed to completion, and in every case tlie work now being done there is from new ideas of manager M. J. Winn, president Charles F. Grainger and secretary II. C. Applegate. All are being introduced for the convenience and accommodation of the general racing public.
